PHILOSOPHY 
OF  MUSIC  - 


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lARRIET  A^  SE^WOUR 


THE    PHILOSOPHY 
OF   MUSIC 


THE  PHILOSOPHY 
OF  MUSIC 

What  Music  Can  Do  for  You 


by 

Harriet  Ayer  Seymour 


»i 


HARPER  &  BROTHERS  PUBLISHERS 

NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 


•    •  » •  >   . 


' .  •  •  •  . 


-.  » .• 


What  Music  Can  Do  For  You 


Copyright,  1920,  by  Harper  &  Brothers 

Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 

Published  November,  1920 

t.A. 


CONTENTS 

Foreword vii 

I.  Awakening  to  Life  Through  Music     ...  i 

II.  Melody,  Rhythm,  and  Harmony 19 

III.  Melody        . 27 

IV.  Rhythm 43 

V.  Harmony 51 

VI.  Music  for  Children 73 

VII.  Practicing ,♦.....  98 

VIII.  Technique 115 

IX.  Music  for  Grown-ups 129 

X.  Phonographs  and  Pianolas 138 

XI.  Music  and  Health 146 

XII.  The  Philosophy  of  Music 164 

Books  and  Music 179 

List  of  Phonograph  Records  • 189 


FOREWORD 

THE  name  of  this  book  was  formerly 
What  Music  Can  Do  For  You,  It  has 
been  renamed  The  Philosophy  of  Music  be- 
cause of  its  essentially  philosophic  nature, 
for  the  study  of  music  is  no  longer  presented 
mechanically,  as  of  old. 

Thousands  of  people  who  studied  music 
when  they  were  yoimg  have  given  it  up 
when  they  married,  or  when  they  went  to 
work,  or  became  absorbed  in  some  way. 
They  still  love  it,  and  go  wistfully  to  con- 
certs, longing  to  understand,  regretting  that 
they  gave  it  up. 

Why  is  this  the  case?  We  have  talked  to 
and  taught  a  great  many  people  and  find 
two  vital  causes  back  of  this  condition: 

1.  They  have  neither  time  nor  desire 
for  endless  scales  and  exercises. 

2.  They  have  concluded  that  since  they 
cannot  (after  all  the  lessons  they  have  had) 
play  or  sing  simple  times,  they  simply  are 

•  • 
Vll 


Foreword 

"not  musical"  and  it  is  therefore  useless 
to  try. 

The  fallacy  of  this  conclusion  has  been 
proven.  There  is  scarcely  anyone  who  is 
really  unmusical.  Everyone  can  hear,  un- 
derstand, and  express  at  least  a  little.  It 
is  the  same  with  color — everyone  has  some 
sense  of  color,  although  he  may  not  be  a 
Titian  or  a  Zuloaga.  In  the  same  way 
everyone  has  in  him  at  least  a  little  of  the 
musical  sense,  though  he  may  not  be  a 
Beethoven  or  a  Paderewski. 

The  old  way  of  studying  music  by  prac- 
ticing interminable  scales  and  exercises  has 
been  a  failure.  The  philosophic  way  is  to 
first  awaken  music  from  within,  by  means 
of  simple  drills. 

The  every-day  man  and  woman  knows 
that  more  music  is  needed  in  this  Iron 
Age,  and  we  know  that  they  can  have  it. 
They  need,  as  do  we  all  in  one  way  or 
another,  musical  re-education — ^that  is,  they 
must  change  their  idea  about  it  and  learn 
a  different  process.  In  other  words,  they 
must  practically  use  the  philosophy  that 
\  says,    ''You   will   find   everything   within 

•  •  • 
VIU 


Foreword 

yourself/'      The  realm  of  harmony   and 
beauty  is  open  to  all  in  some  degree. 

Music  is  thus  being  reinstated.  In  this 
book  is  given  the  way  to  go  about  re- 
educating yourself  musically.  It  is  possible 
for  you — ^whoever  you  are — ^wherever  you 
are — ^to  enrich  and  harmonize  your  life 
through  music. 

H.  A.  S. 


The  author  wishes  to  thank  Margaret  Lee  Crofts 
for  her  helpfulness  in  the  compilation  of  this  book. 


IX 


THE  PHILOSOPHY 
OF  MUSIC 


AWAKENING    TO    LIFE    THROUGH    MUSIC 

Musical  training  is  a  more  potent  instrument  than  any- 
other,  because  rhythm  and  harmony  find  their  way  into  the 
inward  places  of  the  soul,  on  which  they  mightily  fasten. 

— Plato. 

TO  have  a  full  life  is  the  conscious  or  un- 
conscious aim  of  every  individual,  we 
might  say  the  aim  of  the  world,  for  the 
world  is  nothing  more  than  the  sum  total 
of  individuals.  If  the  consciousness  of  the 
individual  is  right  and  constructive,  the 
world  problems  must  of  necessity  adjust 
themselves. 

By  establishing  harmony  in  the  individual 
consciousness,  harmony  of  mass  conscious- 


\ 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

ness  must  follow,  for  in  the  fundamental 
things  of  life  individuals  differ  very  little. 
The  desire  for  more  joy,  more  love,  more 
health,  more  happiness,  is  universal,  and 
m  akes-;  us  a J 1  akin .  This  life  of  completeness 
is  not  merely  a  Utopian  dream ;  it  is  a  prac- 
tical result  of  co-operating  with  a  law,  the 
Harmonic  Law. 

Chaos  in  the  world  is  caused  by  the  chaos 
of  separate  lives,  with  their  resulting  ac- 
tions and  reactions  upon  other  lives,  and  is 
directly  due  to  lack  of  compliance  with  the 
law  of  Nature,  that  is,  to  the  law  of  Har- 
mony, for  Nature  is  Harmony.  Ignorance 
of  Nature's  law  is  at  the  bottom  of  all 
misery. 

Would  not  every  individual  seek  to  put 
himself  in  direct  accord  with  this  law  if  he 
knew  that  by  so  doing  he  would  make  his 
life  full  and  rich?  Would  he  not  do  it  from 
a  purely  selfish  motive? 

The  law  of  Nature  cannot  change  itself 
to  suit  the  whims  and  ignorances  of  Na- 
ture's children,  but  it  does  stand  ready  to 
serve  as  soon  as  her  children  learn  her  se- 
crets  and   avail   themselves   of  them.     If 


Awakening  to  Life  Through  Music 

Ignorance  is  the  cause,  the  remedy  is  edu- 
cation. Not  the  kind  we  have  had  in  the 
past,  education  in  externals,  but  a  funda- 
mental understanding  of  the  Harmonic 
Principle  which  governs  everything  in  the 
imiverse,  the  sun  and  the  planets,  as  well 
as  each  individual  life.  But  what  has  this 
to  do  with  music?  Taught  as  it  has  been 
in  the  past,  as  something  separate  from  life, 
it  has  very  little  to  do  with  it,  but  in  the  new 
understanding,  as  a  channel  through  which 
the  law  works,  it  has  a  great  deal  to  do 
with  it.  It  is  the  link  by  which  the  in- 
dividual is  made  one  with  the  law  itself. 

The  great  principle  is:  First,  Listening, 
then  Thinkings  and  then  Action, 

Start  with  the  premise  that  we  must 
formulate  and  carry  out  a  new  scheme  of 
education  which  will  be  based  upon  the 
idea  that  man  is  his  own  salvation.  In  him 
are  all  the  possibilities  for  harmony  and 
growth.  Education  has  only  to  furnish  a 
stimulus  that  will  cause  the  awakening  of 
this  larger  self,  thereby  changing  his  mental 
images,  which  will  in  turn  change  his  reac- 
tions and  so  his  life. 

3 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

Music  will  bring  about  this  awakening; 
therefore  in  the  new  education  it  must  be 
classed  not  as  a  luxury,  but  as  a  necessity. 
"It  is,'*  as  Basil  King  says,  "like  water  in 
its  relation  to  humanity.**  The  craving  for 
it  is  apparent  on  all  sides.  Wherever  there 
is  a  park  concert  the  crowds  flock  to  hear 
it.  When  "like  the  flowers  that  bloom  in 
the  spring,  tra-la,**  the  hurdy-gurdy  comes 
forth  from  its  winter  of  inactivity,  the 
children  gather  around  it  to  dance  and 
sing,  and  the  grown-up  children  slacken 
their  pace  as  they  walk  by. 

There  is  an  interesting  and  rather  touch- 
ing incident  that  occurs  every  day  in  the 
Grand  Central  Station  in  New  York  City. 
In  that  vast  arcade,  which  is  a  city  in  itself, 
there  are  many  shops  of  every  conceivable 
nature,  clothing  shops,  candy  shops,  haber- 
dasheries, restaurants,  book  shops,  every- 
thing for  the  convenience  and  temptation 
of  the  transient  population.  In  the  midst 
of  this  hive  of  activity  there  is  a  little  music 
shop  where  popular  songs  are  tried  out  on 
the  piano  for  interested  purchasers.  Every 
day  at  noon  the  stenographers  and  clerks 

4 


Awakening  to  Life  Through  Music 

from  adjacent  offices  gather  there  with  their 
lunches  to  spend  the  noon  hour  where  they 
can  hear  a  Httle  music.  For  the  time  being 
the  workaday  world  is  forgotten.  Cares 
and  problems  slip  away,  and  when  they  go 
back  to  their  offices  they  go  back  refreshed. 
This  bit  of  music  at  the  lunch  hour  is  all 
that  many  of  these  girls  have  in  their  lives, 
and  the  very  expression  on  their  faces  tells 
the  story  of  their  hunger  and  craving  for  it. 

We  must  have  music  and  more  music. 
In  this  as  in  almost  everything  else  we 
have  two  extremes.  An  immense  gap  has 
existed,  and  still  exists,  between  those  who 
are  able  to  play  technically  well,  at  least, 
the  most  difficult  music  of  the  great  masters, 
and  those  who,  loving  it  more  and  needing 
it  just  as  much,  cannot  afford  to  study.  Of 
this  latter  class  few  can  ever  afford  to  have 
a  piano  or  a  phonograph  in  their  homes. 

Mankind  wants  peace  and  harmony  in 
the  world,  but  makes  it  practically  impos- 
sible for  the  masses  to  have  the  means  of 
attaining  it.  Psycho-analysts  have  proven 
conclusively  that  the  reactions  from  wrong 
mental  impressions  are  destructive,  both  to 

S 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

the  man  himself  and  the  world  in  general. 
Take  a  depressed  day  laborer  who  gets  up 
in  a  dirty,  close  room  where  children  are 
crying,  the  mother  is  scolding,  and  the  heat 
is  overpowering.  Before  him  is  a  day's 
work  and  after  that  a  return  to  the  same 
environment?  Can  we  blame  him  if  he  be- 
comes violent  and  destructive?  He  blames 
the  system  and  we  blame  him,  and  the  real 
truth  of  the  matter  is  that  neither  he  nor 
we  are  properly  educated  or  this  situation 
would  not  exist. 

"Yes,"  says  some  one  for  the  sake  of 
argument,  ''this  is  all  very  true,  but  Ger- 
many has  been  one  of  the  most  musical 
countries,  and  surely  we  have  had  ample 
proof  of  her  destructive  reactions."  We 
have,  but  herein  lies  the  whole  point.  We 
must  do  exactly  the  opposite  of  what  we 
have  been  doing.  We  must  use  music  as 
a  means  to  an  end  and  not  regard  it  as  an 
end  in  itself.  Music  is  both  an  art  and  a 
science.  In  the  new  order  we  must  have 
vision  and  imagination,  but  we  must  also 
have  an  understanding  of  law,  and  learn 
to  work  out  every  problem  according  to 

6 


Awakening  to  Life  Through  Music 

law  or  principle,  rather  than  by  imagination 
or  mere  mechanical  skill. 

In  order  to  enter  into  the  spirit  of  music 
or  harmony  we  must  go  back  to  its  funda- 
mental principle.  If  this  method  were 
adopted  in  all  forms  of  education  we  should 
become  a  well-grounded  nation  in  a  most 
practical  way.  As  it  is  we  are  slaves  to 
name  and  form. 

'"A  man  studies  scientific  farming,  working 
out  all  sorts  of  elaborate  problems  as  to 
cattle,  milk,  butter,  etc.,  but  if  anything 
happens  to  the  farm  hand  who  milks  the 
cows,  he  cannot  get,  with  all  his  scientific 
knowledge,  a  drop  of  milk  from  the  udder 
of  the  best  cow  alive.  Take  a  girl  who  is 
graduated  from  a  school  of  domestic  science, 
put  her  into  a  house  where  there  is  no  cook, 
and  she  will  be  able  to  tell  you  how  many 
calories  each  person  should  have  and  what 
the  cave  man's  diet  was,  but  she  will  not 
be  able  to  cook  a  decent  meal. 

In  music  a  girl  may  have  learned  by 
imitation — that  is,  by  having  been  shown 
over  and  over  just  how  to  play  certain 
passages,  to  play  some  difficult  composi- 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

tions,  but  put  her  in  an  environment  where 
the  harmonizing  of  some  simple  tune  is 
needed  and  frequently  she  is  absolutely 
incapable.  Her  Bach  and  her  Chopin  are 
of  no  avail,  for  she  cannot  do  the  practical 
thing. 

At  the  Music  School  Settlement  a  blind 
man  who  had  been  studying  for  a  year  or 
more  complained  bitterly  that  the  teacher 
refused  to  give  him  what  he  wanted  and 
needed.  Upon  investigating  his  case  it 
was  found  that  the  teacher  was  a  follower 
of  the method.  The  blind  man's  de- 
sire was  to  be  given  the  chords  that  would 
help  him  to  harmonize  tunes  so  that  he 
might  practice  the  songs  that  he  had  to 
sing  in  the  synagogue,  which  meant  both 
his  outlet  artistically  and  his  means  of  earn- 
ing a  living.  The  teacher,  however,  had 
insisted  upon  his  playing  for  an  hour  each 
day  five-finger  exercises  of  a  certain  type, 
then  reading  through  by  the  Braille  system 
for  the  blind  a  deadly  dull  study  for  the 
fingers,  and,  finally,  as  a  great  treat,  playing 
a  little  "piece"  fit  for  a  child.  When  he 
came  to  us  with  his  complaint  the  teacher 

8 


Awakening  to  Life  Through  Music 

grew  quite  irritable,  explaining  that  he  had 
not  yet  got  to  chords,  that  they  did  not 
come  before  voliime  three,  and  that  he  was 
only  in  volume  one.  Which  is  the  more 
important,  the  teacher  or  the  pupil,  the 
method  or  life? 

In  a  desire  to  make  amends  we  offered 
to  show  him  the  three  elementary  chords. 
We  felt  responsible  for  his  not  having  been 
given  what  he  needed,  so  set  to  work  to 
make  it  right.  We  spent  two  hours  at  the 
piano  getting  the  sound  of  the  one  chord 
and  its  root,  with  its  relation  to  the  melody 
he  was  singing,  then  the  four  chord  and 
then  the  five.  His  ear  was  already  awak- 
ened, so  in  a  short  time  he  was  able  to  play 
basses,  not  only  to  little  folk  songs,  but  also 
to  his  synagogue  songs,  to  Schimiann, 
Schubert,  and  others.  The  knowledge  of 
these  chords  opened  up  harmonic  conscious- 
ness in  the  man,  curing  him  of  his  irrita- 
bility and  pessimism.  It  was  also  the 
means  of  seciuring  more  musical  work  for 
him,  thus  changing  his  life  from  one  of 
despair  to  one  of  constructive  thinking  and 
acting. 

9 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

To  accomplish  the  awakening  of  the 
harmonic  consciousness  we  must  begin 
with  music  in  schools.  Children  naturally 
love  to  sing  and  to  skip  around  to  lively 
tunes.  Instead  of  the  tedious  do,  re,  mi 
method,  we  should  begin  with  lovely  chil- 
dren's songs,  singing  games,  skipping,  and 
dancing.  In  this  way  children  are  given  the 
joyous,  harmonizing  atmosphere  of  music 
and  are  put  in  a  musical  mood  before  they 
are  confronted  with  the  mechanical  and 
intellectual  side  of  music. 

Music  is  made  up  of  melody,  harmony, 
and  rhythm.  In  order  to  enter  into  the 
essence  or  spirit  of  music  one  must  feel  and 
hear.  After  that,  performance  may  follow 
if  it  be  desired.  In  passing  we  might  say 
that  it  would  not  hurt  grown-ups  to  be  a 
little  more  simple.  We  all  sham  too  much, 
and  musically  the  whole  world  has,  so  to 
speak,  put  up  a  bluff. 

The  law  of  melody  is  simple.  The 
rhythmic  swing  comes  first,  which  is  dif- 
ferent from  what  is  termed  "time,'*  and 
children  soon  find  it  for  themselves.  Then 
the  resting  note  of  the  tune,  the  center  of  it, 

10 


Awakening  to  Life  Through  Music 

or  the  keynote  of  the  scale,  is  heard  in 
various  ways.  In  some  children  this  an- 
chorage may  awaken  at  once ;  in  others,  not 
so  soon.  It  cannot  always  be  said  when  a 
child  will  become  cognizant  of  the  keynote 
of  a  tune,  as  many  mothers  and  teachers 
would  like  us  to  do,  but  it  is  certain  that 
they  have  it  in  them  and  will  do  so,  if  we 
have  patience  coupled  with  the  right  atti- 
tude. Forcing  is  of  no  avail.  It  has  to 
come  through  naturally,  and  the  function 
of  the  teacher  is  to  awaken,  not  to  instruct. 
After  the  awakening  of  the  consciousness 
to  harmony,  melody,  and  rhythm  instruc- 
tion is  possible,  but  not  before. 

To  know  the  law  and  its  uses,  this  is  the 
eternal  process.  We  learn  to  know  the  law 
of  music  through  listening  and  understand- 
ing. Harmony  has  heretofore  been  taught 
in  such  a  complex  and  external  way  that 
the  average  person  is  simply  confused  and 
gets  no  practical  value  from  it.  Yet  how 
much  we  do  need  the  harmonic  principle 
for  daily  living! 

It  is  indeed  better  for  children  to  grow  up 
before   they   are   given   the   old-fashioned 


II 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

teaching,  if  they  are  to  have  it  at  all.  Some 
mothers  have  known  this  intuitively  and 
have  allowed  their  children  to  go  without 
music  lessons  rather  than  be  given  the  kind 
of  teaching  which,  as  the  children  at  the 
Settlement  say,  gives  them  "a  hate  on 
music."  For  this  reason  it  is  better  not  to 
have  any  lessons  than  to  have  mechanical, 
theoretical  lessons :  it  is  a  kind  of  mentally 
blighting  process.  We  spoil,  by  putting  in 
the  wrong  idea,  the  music  that  is  in  the  child 
waiting  to  be  brought  out,  as,  for  instance, 
the  real  consciousness  of  God  is  often 
spoiled  by  the  outward  form  of  learning  the 
prayer  book  by  heart,  learning  to  genu- 
flect, etc. 

It  would  be  better  to  refrain  altogether 
until  some  inner  religious  feeling  has  been 
aroused.  And  so  in  music.  Many  a  per- 
son's real  love  for  music  has  been  blighted 
by  having  first  been  given  the  outer  form. 
They  have  become  disgusted  and  their  de- 
sire for  music  has  been  killed.  To  insist 
that  a  child  shall  practice  every  day  is  to 
find  him  shaking  the  hourglass  and  trying  to 
cheat  in  every  possible  way.     But  give  him 

12 


Awakening  to  Life  Through  Music 

a  tune  he  likes  to  pick  out  and  harmonize 
and  you  will  have  to  take  him  away  from 
the  piano  by  force.  This  is  a  strong  state- 
ment, but  we  have  seen  many  such  in- 
stances. Pupils  forget  to  eat  in  their  de- 
sire to  find  basses  and  tunes;  others  re- 
fuse to  go  to  sleep  imtil  they  have  foimd 
the  bass  to  a  certain  song.  One  mother 
said:  ''Sally  doesn't  come  to  lunch.  She 
doesn't  even  hear  me  call  her,  and  all  on 
account  of  her  absorbing  interest  in  some 
little  song  that  has  caught  her  fancy.'' 
Another  says  that  in  order  to  have  peace 
at  home  she  is  obliged  to  lock  the  piano. 

The  attitude  of  the  old-time  musician  has 
been  that  children  must  grow  up  before 
studying  harmony.  The  truth  is  that  little 
children  of  five  or  six  can  hear  the  root  of 
a  chord,  or  ''hear  under,"  as  we  say,  as 
well  as,  if  not  better  than,  adults.  If  you 
begin  before  they  have  been  spoiled  by  the 
old  external  and  mechanical  methods  of 
teaching,  they  will  hear  the  three  funda- 
mental harmonies  within  themselves  as 
easily  as  the  birds  in  the  woods. 

The  great  need  is,  for  parents,  teachers, 

13 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

and  pupils  alike,  to  follow  the  one  great  law 
of  listefiing  first,  then  action.  Quite  natu- 
rally you  ask  what  we  mean  by  listening.  It 
is  just  this.  To  sit  quietly  and  when  per- 
fectly relaxed,  mentally  and  physically,  re- 
peat some  phrase  or  verse,  such  as: 

"He  prayeth  best  who  loveth  best 
All  things  both  great  and  small." 

Get  the  swing,  the  rhythm,  or  rhyme  of 
these  words;  it  will  come  to  you  from  the 
idea  or  sense  of  the  words.  In  this  instance 
the  importance  is  easily  found  to  rest  on 
the  words,  prayeth,  loveth,  things,  great  and 
small.  The  swing,  then,  is  out  on  prayeth, 
in  on  loveth,  out  on  things,  in  on  great  and 
small.  Now  quietly  listen  for  a  tune,  to 
the  first  phrase  of  the  verse,  "He  prayeth 
best.  .  .  .  '*  The  tune  will  come  naturally 
when  the  rhythm  is  grasped.  Any  child 
easily  hears  a  tune  to  words  and  will  respond 
almost  instantly,  and  adults  can  do  the  same 
thing  if  they  will  let  go  of  self -consciousness. 
These  tunes  come  without  effort  from 
children  of  all  ages.     Here  are  two  exam- 

14 


Awakening  to  Life  Through  Music 

pies,  the  first  from  a  boy  of  seven  who  had 
never  had  a  music  lesson. 


^^ 


:=!= 


:=t: 


Oh      how        I         love         the        sum    -    mer      time! 

And  this  from  a  girl  of  eleven  who  had  had 
the  kind  of  lessons  that  had  made  her  hate 
music. 


:=Si: 


:>= 


How     would  you       like      to         go        up        in  a      swing? 

Music — that  is,  melody,  harmony,  and 
rhythm — is  inherent  in  everybody,  only 
waiting  to  be  brought  out.  By  that  we  do 
not  mean  that  everyone  can  be  a  Beethoven, 
but  that  everyone  has  some  music,  some 
connecting  link  with  melody  and  harmony 
within  him.  Music  gives  an  unlimited 
chance  to  develop  this  inner  sense,  making 
it  grow,  as  does  a  plant,  first  underground, 
unseen  and  unheard,  then  visibly. 

All  studies  should  be  based  upon  this 
law — ^from  within,  out,  and  mathematics 
and  music  should  come  first  on  the  list. 

15 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

Mathematics  is  so  closely  allied  to  music 
that  it  is  an  intensely  interesting  thing  to 
follow.  There  are  seven  tones  to  a  scale. 
These  tones  are  related  through  mathe- 
matical vibration.  There  are  three  chords, 
all  resolving  into  one.  The  twenty-four 
keys  of  music  are  found  to  bear  the  same 
relationship  to  one  another  as  the  chords  to 
one  another — that  is,  the  next  sharp  key 
is  five  up,  the  next  flat  key  is  four  up. 
One,  four,  five  are  the  three  elementary 
chords.  A  circle  of  keys  works  out  per- 
fectly and  the  y^/\\j  three  chords  form 
a  triangle  as  /  I  \  ,  and  so  on  up  to 
higher  mathematics  and  into  overtones  and 
the  fourth  dimension. 

The  following  incident  illustrates  the 
awakening  which  comes  through  listening. 
A  young  girl  had  become  unhappy  and 
pessimistic  through  the  study  of  social 
conditions  in  their  chaotic  state.  Music 
teachers  in  Europe  and  in  this  country 
advised  her  to  practice  more,  but  no 
amount  of  practice  brought  relief  to  her 
troubled  mind.  Finally  one  of  the  new 
music  teachers  tried  to  persuade  her  that 

i6 


Awakening  to  Life  Through  Music 

law  does  exist  and  reign,  that  man  is  his 
own  salvation,  but  she  remained  uncon- 
vinced— when  suddenly  the  teacher  played 
the  scale  down,  leaving  off  the  last  note, 
and  the  girl  involuntarily  sang  it. 

"Where  did  that  come  from?"  asked  the 
teacher. 

"I  heard  it  inside,"  answered  the  girl. 
"You  are  right.  There  is  a  law  and  it's 
in  me.** 

After  listening  quietly  and  hearing  in- 
wardly there  comes  an  inner  sense  of  har- 
mony. The  chaos  of  vagrant  thoughts  is 
calmed  into  repose;  the  mind  is  stilled  to 
outside  influences  and  becomes  a  reflector 
for  the  inner  light  which  comes  only 
through  stillness.  Thoughts  become  posi- 
tive, ideas  are  born,  and  one  dares  to  dream 
of  great  accomplishments,  and  through  the 
stillness  comes  the  thought,  "I  can  and  I 
will."  Those  things  which  seemed  beyond 
reach  come  quite  naturally  within  the  realm 
of  possibility.  Faith  in  our  own  powers  is 
built  up  when  the  chaotic  thoughts  of  the 
outside  world  are  stilled,  and  we  believe 
in  our  own  ability  to  be  and  to  do  what  we 

17 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

will.  Dreams  and  ideals  which  have  been 
vague  take  on  definite  form,  shaping  them- 
selves under  the  influence  of  that  har- 
mony which  has  been  established  through 
listening. 


II 

MELODY,    RHYTHM,   AND  HARMONY 


In  no  other  study  is  performance  so  insisted  upon. 

— Dalcroze. 


BY  the  New  Education  we  mean  that  we 
are  to  begin  by  recognizing  the  poten- 
tial possibilities  of  every  child  and  seek  to 
draw  these  out.  Education  no  longer 
means  filling  a  void,  but  developing  that 
which  is  latent  in  the  individual.  We  are 
to  be  continually  constructive  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  we  are  bound  to  be  dis- 
criminating; idealistic,  but  at  the  same 
time  practical.  We  are  to  seek  to  find  in 
everyone  the  germ,  at  least,  of  the  hidden 
talent  that  formerly  we  did  not  trouble 
ourselves  about  unless  it  gave  marked 
evidences  of  its  existence. 
With  these  ideas  well  fixed  in  mind  let 

19 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

us  see  how  they  can  best  be  applied  to  music. 
First  let  us  consider  what  music  is  and 
what  angles  of  approach  it  offers.  As  an 
art,  music  is  a  symbol  of  the  art  of  life. 
It  has  as  its  mainspring  the  same  source — 
God.  As  a  science  it  belongs  to  that 
branch  known  as  mathematics,  numbers, 
whose  underlying  principle  is  order.  It  has 
yet  another  angle,  one  which  depends  upon 
the  recognition  of  both  the  former  ones. 
It  is  a  language — the  greatest  of  all  lan- 
guages, since  it  can  say  that  which  no  words 
can  ever  convey.  To  understand  this  uni- 
versal language,  to  intensify  it  and  so 
enrich  our  lives,  is  the  object  of  music- 
teaching  under  the  new  educational  sys- 
tem. We  want  music  to  be  of  practical 
use  to  everyone,  and  to  make  it  that  we 
must  cease  imitating  and  get  down  to 
fundamentals. 

In  the  old  method  it  was  necessary  for 
the  pupil  to  depend  eternally  upon  the 
teacher,  so  in  most  cases  he  grew  bored  and 
ceased  to  play  at  all.  No  one  can  remain 
really  interested  in  a  subject  for  any 
length  of  time  unless  there  is  a   possibility 

20 


Melody^  Rhythm,  and  Harmony 

of  getting  something  to  work  out  alone. 
But  if  one  begins  with  hearing  the  principles 
of  melody,  rhythm  and  harmony  can  then 
be  learned,  and  from  these  one  can  always 
advance  alone  into  a  larger  and  larger 
understanding. 

With  this  hearing  knowledge  of  melody, 
rhythm,  and  harmony,  music  becomes  more 
"usable.'*  A  boy  or  girl  is  enabled  to  play 
an  accompaniment  in  any  key  for  the  fun 
of  a  sing  after  dinner,  a  mother  can  turn 
home  into  a  real  heaven  by  playing  songs 
for  her  children.  She  can  play  dances,  too, 
and  without  having  to  search  the  piano  for 
the  notes  of  that  "skippy  dance"  that  the 
children  like  so  much.  She  may  not  play 
Beethoven's  fifty-one  variations,  and  yet 
she  may,  according  to  the  interest  she  has 
in  learning  the  more  difficult  compositions 
of  the  masters.  But  the  point  is  that  she 
can  do  something  with  music  which  has 
practical  value  and  will  lend  grace  and 
harmony  to  life.  But  to  do  this  we  must 
begin  at  the  very  beginning. 

We  are  coming  to  realize  that  in  almost 
everything  a  certain  vanity  of  being  ''ad- 

21 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

vanced ''  has  led  us  to  skip  the  fundamentals. 
Everyone  wants  to  do  the  fourth  year's 
work  in  the  first  year !  But  we  can  get  real 
enjoyment  and  interest  out  of  foundation 
building.  To  hear  inwardly  a  simple  tune 
and  its  harmonies  is  worth  more  than  to 
play  a  concerto  without  consciously  hearing 
a  single  note  of  it.  Being  really  musical 
means  to  hear  inwardly,  and  the  new  edu- 
cation in  music  aims  to  awaken  this  inner 
musical  consciousness. 

Once  this  sense  is  awakened  music  be- 
comes a  practical  help  in  education.  It  de- 
velops the  power  of  concentration,  in  that 
one  is  forced  to  do  the  work  himself.  No 
one  can  hear  for  you,  no  matter  how  good 
a  teacher  he  may  be.  It  awakens  what 
some  one  has  so  aptly  termed  the  "sub- 
merged self,*'  which  brings  about  the  in- 
ward development  toward  which  all  edu- 
cation is  directed.  In  other  words,  it  is  a 
great  freeing  process,  a  practical  means  of 
awakening  a  sense  of  love,  law,  and  order — 
the  trinity  of  all  freedom. 

So  music  takes  on  a  new  aspect.  It  is  no 
longer    a    mere    accomplishment,    it    is    a 

22 


Melody  J  Rhythm  j  and  Harmony 

psychological  means  of  liberation,  a  vital 
necessity  to  us  all,  and  a  practical  educa- 
tional subject  which  we  can  no  longer  af- 
ford to  neglect.  But  to  make  use  of  its 
value  we  must  change  our  method  of  attack. 
Music  is  primarily  a  language  of  sound, 
and  it  is  this  sound,  and  sequence  of  sounds, 
that  is  of  value  to  us.  We  must  learn  to 
capture  a  melody  with  our  inner  ear,  hear 
it  not  only  as  a  melody,  that,  is,  with  the 
relation  of  one  note  to  the  other,  but  as 
rhythm  and  as  harmony.  This  requires 
that  we  feel,  think,  and  finally  analyze; 
then  that  we  rehearse  our  feeling,  utilizing 
what  thought  and  analysis  have  contrib- 
uted. But  what  is  to  be  gained  by  this? 
Let  us  be  practical. 

'  Suppose,  for  example,  that  something  in 
your  life  is  troubling  you,  that  some  one 
whom  you  love  is  in  dire  distress  or  that 
your  own  personal  affairs  are  in  such  a 
muddle  that  you  can  see  no  way  out.  You 
are  growing  ill,  going  round  and  round  in  a 
circle  of  fears  from  which  you  are  unable  to 
escape.  In  desperation  you  go  to  hear 
some  music,  hoping  to  forget  for  a  moment, 

23 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

As  the  orchestra  plays  the  strains  of  a 
Beethoven  symphony  or  some  lovely  modern 
tone  poem  you  find  your  nervous  tension 
loosening.  Your  mind  pauses,  so  to  speak, 
to  listen  to  the  sweetness,  the  power  of  the 
sound.  You  are  released  from  the  paralysis 
of  fear,  and  suddenly  a  way  out  presents 
itself,  a  simple  solution  which  you  were  too 
tense  to  see  before  the  music  loosened  you. 

Now  suppose  that  by  studying  the  fun- 
damentals of  music  from  the  listening  side 
only  you  were  enabled,  without  attending  a 
concert,  to  recall  this  feeling  at  will;  you 
would  then  be  in  a  position  to  utilize  one 
of  the  greatest  powers  of  music.  You  could 
seat  yourself  in  your  own  room  and  in- 
wardly repeat  all  that  lifted  you  above  your 
worries.  You  would  have  within  you  the 
necessary  technique  for  solving  problems, 
for  quieting  your  nerves,  and  for  resting 
your  body.  For  it  is  through  the  awaken- 
ing of  melody,  rhythm,  and  harmony  in  onv 
minds  that  we  are  able  to  express  these  self- 
same things  in  our  bodies  and  in  our  affairs. 

But  to  obtain  this  useful  technique  we 
must  apply  ourselves  diligently  to  each  of 

24 


Melody,  Rhythm ,  and  Harmony 

the  three  elements  of  music.     Melody  is  the 

most  obvious  of  the  three,  rhythm  the  most 

"K    primitive, and harmpnytheleast understood. 

When  a  Beethoven  hears  a  melody  he  does 
not  hear  it  as  a  thing  separate  and  distinct 
in  itself,  he  hears  not  only  the  tune,  but  its 
rhythm  and  harmony  as  well.  He  hears  the 
three  things  as  one.  Oneness,  unity,  is  the 
big  underlying  law.  There  is  only  one  su- 
preme chord,  the  tonic  into  which  all  the 
others  must  resolve,  just  as  there  is  but  one 
solution  to  all  problems — oneness  with  God. 

But  there  are  steps  to  be  taken  before  we, 
who  are  continually  seeing  our  separate- 
ness,  can  achieve  the  creative  awakening 
which  will  bring  us  to  the  same  sense  of  one- 
ness with  melody,  rhythm,  and  harmony 
that  Beethoven  had.  Music  was  his  nat- 
ural element;  all  things  spoke  to  him  in 
its  terms.  As  he  walked  abroad  the  woods, 
the  flowers,  the  brooks,  the  birds  all  con- 
tributed their  part  to  the  motifs  which  are 
still  inspiring,  helping,  and  healing  hu- 
manity to-day.  He  had  brought  with  him 
a  fully  awakened  musical  consciousness 
which  enabled  him  to  hear  that  which  we 

25 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

unawakened  ones  do  not — tne  music  of  the 
spheres,  a  continuous,  glorious  symphony. 
Why,  most  of  us  cannot  follow  a  simple 
folk  song,  swing  its  rhythm,  or  find  its  bass ! 
How  then  can  we  possibly  expect  to  enter 
into  the  consciousness  of  Beethoven? 

Yet  it  can  be  accomplished,  and  the  re- 
ward is  in  far  greater  proportion  than  that 
of  many  studies  which  heretofore  have  been 
considered  of  indispensable  value. 

Music  understood  from  the  hearing  side, 
studied  through  listening,  thinking,  and 
feeling,  brings  us  closer  to  truth,  to  an  im- 
derstanding  of  ourselves  and  a  harmoniza- 
tion of  conditions,  than  any  other  study. 
A  noted  sociologist,  who  openly  goes  to 
war  with  "art  for  art's  sake,'*  says  that  to 
her  music  and  life  are  so  closely  interwoven 
that  a  single  term  should  suffice  for  both. 
And  it  is  for  this  that  we  are  aiming — to 
make  a  conscious  union  between  our  life  and 
music.  To  do  this  we  must  study  each  of 
the  elements  of  music  with  a  view  to 
finding  each  within  ourselves  and  bringing 
them  into  a  perfect  union  through  intelli- 
gent listening  and  feeling. 

26 


y 


III 

MELODY 

A  tune  is  a  spiritual  thing. — Schumann. 

NOTHING  repays  so  well  in  any  study 
as  getting  down  to  an  tinderstanding 
of  the  simple  law  of  things  and  working  it 
out  step  by  step  until  we  actually  have  it 
or  become  one  with  it.  ''Some  people 
think  they  know,  some  know,  and  some 
know  that  they  know." 

In  music,  as  in  other  sciences,  we  must 
know  that  we  know  in  order  to  enter  com- 
pletely into  its  spirit. 

We  are  living  in  an  age  of  scientific 
analysis,  where  every  thought,  act,  and 
emotion  is  being  subjected  to  the  X-ray 
of  comprehensive  research.  The  war  has 
brought  us  up  with  a  sharp  turn  and  made 
us  face  ourselves  more  frankly.     We  want 

3  27 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

to  be  sure  that  what  we  are  spending, 
whether  it  is  time  or  money,  is  spent  intelli- 
gently. Granting  this,  it  is  an  interesting 
and  significant  fact  that  during  the  worst 
phases  of  the  war,  when  rich  and  poor  alike 
were  counting  every  penny,  people  flocked 
to  concerts.  There  was  "standing  room 
only"  an  hour  before  the  music  began. 
People  seemed  to  hunger  and  thirst  for  it. 

But  why  does  the  average  person  go  to  a 
concert,  and  what  does  he  get  out  of  it? 
Often  not  even  a  time  to  carry  away. 
Most  commonly  it  is  merely  a  certain  emo- 
tional exaltation.  But  a  purely  emotional 
and  sentimental  reaction  will  not  enable  the 
hearer  to  appropriate  for  permanent  use 
his  sensations  of  pleasure  and  delight,  and 
he  therefore  fails  to  get  the  amotint  of 
mental  poise,  the  physical  relaxation,  and 
the  true  spiritual  significance  that  he  would 
get  if  he  heard  understandingly  and  etched 
what  he  heard  on  his  memory,  to  be  recalled 
and  reimaged  at  will. 

Music  is  generally  accepted  as  a  soften- 
ing, harmonizing  influence,  necessary  to  all 
people.     From  the  hospital  ward  to  the  con- 

28 


>L 


/y^  Melody 

cert  hall  the  cry  is  for  more  music.  But 
out  of  the  thousands  who  buy  tickets  for  a 
concert,  how  many  get  more  than  a  passing 
wave  of  pleasant  sound? 

It  is  an  interesting  experiment  to  choose 
an  ordinary  group  of  people  and  try  them 
out  musically  in  simple  ways.  For  ex- 
ample, suppose  your  group  to  have  just 
heard  a  concert,  such  as  one  of  the  New 
York  Symphony  concerts,  the  program  con- 
sisting of  the  Dvorak  ''New  World  Sym- 
phony,'* some  songs,  and  perhaps  the 
''Symphonic  Poem"  of  Liszt.  Take  the 
first  motif  of  the  "New  World  Symphony,*' 
which  is  really  a  simple  folk  time,  and  ask 

Dvorak.  New  World 


g^ 


fc^— J-^— i^ 


any  of  your  group  if  they  can  hum  that 
tune.  If  they  can,  ask  them  to  draw  in 
,  lines  a  picture  of  the  direction  the  melody 
takes — to  make  "  a  pit ch  picture . ' '  The  idea 
is,  that  if  the  realm  of  music  is  to  be  entered 
through  hearing  one  must  begin  by  being 
able  to  follow  the  tune  through  its  pitch. 

29 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

A  very  intelligent  man  who  goes  to  many 
concerts  every  year  once  told  me  that  it 
was  impossible  for  him  to  tell  which  direc- 
tion the  time  of  ''Three  Blind  Mice''  takes, 
and  that  he  had  given  up  trying  to  hear 
more  because  his  professional  friends  had 
been  so  discouraging  and  superior.  Most 
people  are  deaf  to  melody,  but  by  training 
the  ear  through  the  inner  process  of  listen- 
ing, it  becomes  an  easy  and  natural  thing 
\       to  follow  a  tune  correctly. 

If  thoughts  are  things,  and  they  are, 
I  musical  thoughts,  in  the  sense  of  times 
that  we  can  hear  within,  are  an  addition  to 
the  general  good  and  are  conducive  to 
peace  and  harmony  both  individually  and 
nationally.  It  seems  extravagant  to  claim 
that,  if  everyone  could  be  shown  how  to 
follow  a  tune  and  to  remember  it,  the  world's 
unrest  would  be  ameliorated,  but  this 
would  seem  to  be  a  fact,  nevertheless. 
Because,  by  so  doing,  each  individual 
would  become  conscious  of  the  harmony 
within  himself  and  would  express  that 
harmony  to  an  extent  varying  according 
to  the  degree  of  its  awakening. 

30 


0 


Melody 

Psycho-analysts  claim  that  physical  ail- 
ments are  caused  by  destructive  mental 
impressions.  Since  mental  impressions  re- 
hearsed make  up  the  sum  total  of  human 
consciousness,  it  is  therefore  worth  our 
while  to  learn  consciously  to  follow  the 
melody  line  of  a  beautiful  motif  and  to 
register  and  keep  it.  This  would  result  in 
something  more  permanent  than  a  mere 
temporary  sensation  of  pleasure,  as  we 
shall  prove. 

A  yoimg  man,  well  educated,  ordinarily 
strong,  with  devoted  friends  and  plenty  of 
money,  became  unhappy  and  discouraged 
as  the  result  of  illness.  He  decided  that 
there  was  nothing  worth  while  in  life  for 
him,  so  concluded  to  let  go  and  die.  The 
doctor  had  told  him  that  if  he  did  let  go, 
that  unless  he  put  up  a  fight  for  life,  he 
would  die.  As  he  lay,  contemplating  death, 
the  memory  of  the  second  movement  of 
Beethoven's  immortal  Fifth  floated  through 
his  mind: 

Beethoven.  Vth  Symphony. 


31 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

He  listened  to  the  subjective  concert 
with  joy  in  his  heart,  which  came  from  the 
fact  that  he  could  hear  and  register  a  tune. 
He  became  more  and  more  absorbed  in  it, 
imbued  with  its  harmony  and,  through  it, 
he  was  stirred  to  a  desire  for  life  and  its 
fullness,  and  with  a  supreme  effort  put  up 
the  fight  which  brought  about  his  recovery. 
He  is  now  a  valuable  citizen  and  has  since 
become  a  powerful  instrument  for  the 
strength  of  the  Allied  cause  and  for  peace. 

Music  has  been  studied  by  the  so-called 
talented  people  in  a  complex,  expensive,  and 
too  often  egotistical  way.  Counterpoint 
and  fugue  may  be  all  right  for  such  as 
these,  but  for  the  average  person  who  goes 
to  concerts  something  much  more  simple  is 
needed,  and,  if  the  truth  be  told,  a  great 
many  of  these  musically  educated  ones  are 
lacking  in  an  understanding  of  simple 
fundamentals. 

It  is  better  to  enter  into  the  spirit  of  a 
melody  by  really  hearing  it  than  to  play 
a  complex  composition  in  a  purely  external 
way,  for  "Muvsic  is  harmony,  harmony  is 
love,  and  love  is  God,"  said  Sidney  Lanier. 

32 


Melody 

That  great  clergyman,  Heber  Newton, 
who  courageously  went  ahead  of  his  time 
in  so  many  ways,  and  with  whom,  happily, 
the  times  have  now  caught  up,  gives  us  the 
following  in  his  Mysticism  and  Music: 

A  scientific  musician  bethought  him  of  making 
the  chords  of  music  record  the  Hnes  of  their  sound 
waves  so  that  the  eye  could  have  a  picture  of  the 
forms  thus  produced.  Suspending  five  pens  from 
.the  wires  of  a  piano  so  that  they  should  move 
delicately  over  sheets  of  paper,  by  striking  the 
chords  carefully  and  allowing  the  sound  to  die  out 
naturally,  he  succeeded  in  making  the  vibrations 
of  the  sound  waves  of  each  chord  trace  the  lines 
of  its  movements. 

The  results  were  designs  of  mathematical  exact- 
/  ness  of  exquisite  beauty,  strangely  suggesting  the 
great  typical  flower  forms.  These  diagrams  were 
thus  the  expression  to  the  eye  of  the  music  which 
the  ear  hears,  the  audible  world  translated  into  the 
visible  world,  the  revelation  of  a  mystery  until  then 
unseen  by  human  eye,  ungrasped  by  human  thought. 


Music  is  a  language,  although  it  is  really 
something  more.  It  might  be  termed  the  ^^ 
imiversal  language,  one  to  which  all  na- 
tionalities and  races  respond.  In  the  same 
sense  it  is  a  religion,  symbolizing  the  One- 
ness or  Love  which  imites  all  people. 

33 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

The  Sufi  religion,  one  of  the  cults  of 
India,  is  based  on  sound,  and  their  claim 
is  that  sound — that  is,  music — will  bring  us 
closer  to  what  is  termed  God-consciousness, 
or  Universal  Love,  than  any  other  medium. 

We  have  all  had  the  experience  of  being 
lifted  out  of  petty  worries  and  selfish  de- 
sires through  some  wonderful  music,  es- 
pecially singing,  like  the  Russian  choir,  a 
fine  string  quartet,  or  an  orchestra.  There- 
fore, realizing  the  power  of  music,  is  it  not 
worth  while  to  put  ourselves  consciously 
into  the  spirit  of  music  that  we  may  un- 
derstand its  message?  Let  us  hear  it 
silently,  listen  to  it,  imderstand  it,  then, 
remembering  it  through  this  imderstanding, 
act  upon  it.  So  will  the  action  which  fol- 
lows always  be  a  melody  in  itself. 

Now  what  is  melody?  It  is  a  definite  idea 
expressed  in  a  sequence  of  sounds,  produc- 
ing a  unified  impression.  It  is  the  golden 
thread  which  runs  through  all  music,  form- 
ing what  we  call  the  tune  or  air.  It  can  be 
likened  to  the  plot  of  a  story,  where  setting, 
environment,  and  action  all  revolve  around 
the  main  idea;  or  to  the  theme  of  a  poem. 

34 


Melody 

In  the  language  of  words  it  is  like  making 
the  short  statement,  "I  love  you,'*  and 
repeating  it  in  various  inflections  of  the 
voice,  then  elaborating  this  statement  by 
telling  what  awakens  this  love — blue  eyes, 
simny  smile,  beautiful  nature,  etc. — and  then 
coming  back  to  the  original  theme,  ''I  love 

you/' 

Musicians  use  the  terms  ^* motif"  and 
"phrase,"  which  are  very  simple  terms  to 
tmderstand.  Motif  is  the  smallest  pattern 
of  the  melody.  Music  has  distinct  pat- 
terns, and  in  this  respect  we  can  go  back 
to  nature  and  find,  in  form,  the  same  plan 
that  exists  in  relation  to  sound.  Flowers, 
snowflakes,  stars,  moon,  sim,  all  have  a  few 
simple  forms  which  occur  over  and  over 
again. 


I     Motif 


Phrase. 


q^^: 


tt 


^ 


Soimd    has   form,    and   melody    creates 
itself  from  very  simple  patterns,  elaborated 

35 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

and  repeated  in  different  keys,  just  as  the 
triangle,  the  circle,  and  the  square  repeat 
themselves  and  combine  in  nature,  thus 
creating  other  more  complex  forms.  Motif 
is,  then,  the  smallest  pattern  in  music. 
In  ''Three  Blind  Mice "  the  motif  or  smallest 
pattern  is 


I 


E4: 


2i; 


This  little  pattern  of  three  notes  is  repeated 
and  then  repeated  again,  from  a  higher 
spot,  and  then  elaborated  and  repeated 
again. 

A  phrase  is  a  more  complete  musical 
thought,  ending  either  in  what  we  may  call 
a  comma  or  a  period.  We  are  too  prone 
to  juggle  terms  without  the  slightest  idea 
of  their  meaning.  Teachers  who  under- 
stand the  meaning  of  certain  technical 
phrases  too  often  take  it  for  granted  that 
the  pupil  also  understands.  A  teacher 
once  asked  a  little  girl  the  definition  of  the 
word  "phrase,'*  meaning,  of  course,  in  a 
musical  sense.  The  child  thought  a  mo- 
ment and  then  said  in  an  exultant  tone  of 

36 


V 


Melody 

voice,  ''It  IS  the  French  word  for  straw- 
berry." 

Another  little  story,  which  is  amusing 
as  well  as  indicative  of  the  lack  of  under- 
standing of  the  simplest  things,  is  of  the  little 
girl  who  went  home  after  a  music  lesson  and 
asked  her  mother  how  many  carrots  there 
are  in  a  bushel,  explaining  that  her  music 
teacher  had  asked  her  this  same  question. 
Mystified,  the  mother  asked  the  teacher 
what  carrots  and  bushels  had  to  do  with 
music.  The  teacher,  equally  mystified, 
thought  over  the  questions  of  the  day 
before  and  finally  exclaimed,  ''Why,  the 
question  I  asked  was,  '  How  many  beats 
are  there  to  a  measure'?"  Do  not  these 
examples  serve  as  a  commentary  on  all 
education? 

To  enter  into  the  real  sense  of  a  phrase, 
both  spiritually  and  intellectually,  we  must 
first  get  the  motif  of  the  melody,  then  look 
for  the  place  where  we  should  naturally 
breathe  if  we  were  singing  it  (and  it  can  be 
done  much  better  if  it  is  sung),  and  then 
find  the  place  where  we  should  naturally 
stop.     In  this  way  you  have  the  principle 

37 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

of  melody.  It  has  pattern  or  form,  it  has 
pitch,  and  it  says  something,  which  is 
punctuated  just  as  any  other  language  is 
punctuated. 

The  pattern  of  a  time  is  most  easily  ex- 
plained by  illustrations.  The  idea  is  that 
the  line  of  sound  varies  just  as  the  line  in 
a  drawing,  or  of  a  tree,  or  a  hillside,  varies. 
It  has  an  upward  trend,  a  downward  trend, 
or  it  travels  along  on  a  straight  line. 

People  who  have  never  paid  attention 
to  melody  in  the  sense  of  being  able  to 
really  hear  it,  and  so  making  it  their  own 
for  all  time  by  becoming  conscious  of  it, 
are  surprised  when  they  discover  them- 
selves unable  to  say  whether  "The  Star- 
spangled  Banner'*  moves  from  above  down- 
ward or  from  below  upward.  It  is  so 
simple  that  no  one  realizes  how  dimly  he 
hears  until  it  is  pointed  out  to  him.  Now 
here  is  a  pitch  picture  of  the  beginning  of 
''The  Star-spangled  Banner'*: 


38 


Melody 

In  other  words,  a  pitch  picttire  is  the  line 
which  the  tune  describes.  Here  is  a  picture 
of  ''Drink  to  Me  Only  with  Thine  Eyes." 


This  may  seem  a  little  complicated  and  an 
easier  way  is  to  make  little  dots  like  this: 


In  fact,  each  person  may  work  out  a  way 
of  his  own  so  long  as  the  same  principle  is 
there. 

Here  is  an  illustration  of  the  last  tune 
written  out  in  notes  with  the  line  fol- 
lowing it: 


Then  to  be  added  to  this  are  duration 
pictures,    little    lines    which    would    show 

39 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

whether  the  sounds  we  hear  are  long  or 
short.  These  help  us  to  make  rapid 
sketches  to  aid  our  memories.  Here  is  a 
duration  picture  of  "Over  There": 


Here  is  one  of  ''Smiles'*: 


It  is  a  case  of  inwardly  following  the  tune 
and  noting  the  length  of  the  different 
soimds.  By  combining  the  duration  and 
the  pitch  pictures  one  gets  a  clue  to  the 
tune  which  will  recall  it.  Of  course  mu- 
sicians do  this  naturally,  but  the  gen- 
eral public  has  been  shut  out  from  the 
real  benefits  of  music  through  having 
no  simple  way  of  taking  a  musical  short 
hand. 

A  musical  friend  of  ours  had  been  off  in 
the  wilds  for  a  long  time.  She  returned  to 
New  York  just  in  time  to  hear  a  great 
violinist  play  the  Beethoven  violin  con- 
certo in  the  key  of  G.     She  was  entranced 

40 


Melody 

by  it,  and  in  order  to  register  it  in  her  mind, 
thereby  having  it  always  for  her  own,  she 
jotted  down  on  the  program  this  picture 
of  the  motif  of  the  last  movement. 


So,  instead  of  its  being  merely  a  fleeting 
pleasure,  that  wonderful,  inspired  melody 
became  at  once  a  part  of  her.  She  was 
conscious  of  it  in  its  elements  of  pitch  and 
duration,  and  could  recall  it  to  memory 
whenever  she  dedred. 

Here  the  phonograph  is  of  real  help. 
We  can  play  a  tune  over  and  over,  making 
pitch  pictures  and  duration  pictures  until 
we  become  so  adept  that  the  concert  hall 
holds  no  terrors  for  us. 

The  majority  of  us  have  only  sensations 
where  we  should  have  experiences — ^vivid, 
clear,  easily  recalled,  and  reimaged  ex- 
periences— with  which  we  may  change  the 

41 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

dark  times  of  fear  and  worry  into  times  of 
beauty,  harmony,  and  peace.  This  is  truly 
the  function  of  music,  but  we  cannot  have 
this  power  without  paying  the  price  of  a 
little  time  and  attention. 


IV 

RHYTHM 

Amid  the  mysteries  that  become  more  mysterious  the 
more  they  are  thought  about,  there  will  remain  the  one 
absolute  certainty,  that  we  are  ever  in  the  presence  of  an 
infinite  and  eternal  energy'-,  from  which  all  things  proceed. 

— Herbert  Spencer. 

IMAGINE  the  world  without  rhythm  and 
perhaps  you  can  get  some  conception 
of  what  rh3rthm  really  is.  Every  great 
teacher  has  virtually  said  that  God  is  all; 
that  all  else  is  delusion,  unreality,  nothing. 
Even  the  man  who  says  that  all  is  matter 
simply  uses  another  term  for  the  same 
thing.  The  idea  remains  that  everything  in 
the  universe  is  composed  of  one  substance, 
the  term  we  use  to  designate  this  substance 
is  imimportant,  be  it  God,  Matter,  Light,  or 
what  not. 

We  are  told  by  scientists  that  everything 
is  in   vibration.     The  form   a   thing   will 

4  43 


The  PJiilosophy  of  Music 

take  depends  upon  its  rate  of  vibration. 
Wood  is  vibration  at  one  rate,  light  is 
vibration  at  another;  the  difference  be- 
tween a  hod  carrier  and  a  seer  is  the  dif- 
ference in  their  rates  of  vibration.  Now 
rhythm  is  vibration  slowed  down  sufficiently 
for  us  to  realize  it — a  more  exact  definition 
than  that,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  give; 
but  the  most  satisfactory  way  of  getting 
an  imderstanding  of  it  is  to  look  for -it  in 
nature,  and  to  learn  about  it  in  that  way. 
This  will  lead  you  to  recognize  that  there 
are  large  rhythms  and  small  rhythms, 
wheels  within  wheels,  so  to  speak.  The 
big  rhythms  are  the  celestial  bodies  in  their 
swing  out  and  back,  the  seasons,  the  sun, 
the  tides,  etc.  Inside  of  the  big  rhythms 
we  find  smaller  ones ;  the  year  has  a  natural 
division  of  seasons,  the  twenty-four  hours, 
divided  into  day  and  night,  an  out  swing  and 
a  back  swing,  like  the  pendulum  of  a  clock, 
and  yet  there  is  only  one  swing — the  eternal 
underlying  swing  of  the  universe.  Nature 
has  been  showing  us  this  law  for  aeons  and 
we  can  apply  its  principle  to  music  just  as 
well  as  to  anything  else. 

44 


Rhythm 

Rhythm  points  eternally  tc  unity  in 
diversity.  It  is  better  to  begin  our  study 
by  actually  swinging  such  rhythms  as  we 
can.  ''  Do  the  thing  and  the  power  comes.'* 
So  let  us  seek  some  simple,  practical  ways 
of  coming  into  the  realization  of  rhythm  in 
music. 

A  great  confusion  between  rhythm  and 
"time"  exists  in  the  minds  of  most  people. 
The  simplest  way  of  experiencing  the  fact 
of  the  big  rhythmic  swing,  underlying  all 
music,  is  to  get  some  one  to  play  all  sorts  of 
familiar  things  to  you,  and  for  you  to  swing 
your  arm  as  you  feel,  for  example,  to  the 
tune  "Dixie": 


X 


1^=^ 


S^ 


^: 


:«-«: 


I 


55=1^=^^ 


F=3t 


SEit 


?=ES^ 


^e^* 


-Jl!=^. 


i 


:5)=pxz=*t 


::s: 


is: 


=|sq 


^^^ 


zm— 


i 


"^^-^^rm^S: 


^■=^-- 


■?^-m — IS 


:=): 


:qs=S=«: 


z^-=^- 


45 


^ 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

you  would  swing  up  until  you  came  to  C, 
and  then  down. 

To  ''London  Bridge  is  falling  down'*  the 


# 


«5^^*^: 


^3: 


-H 


Up  swing  would  last  until  G,  and  then  the 
down  swing  would  come,  ending  on  C. 

A  phonograph  will  help  very  much  in 
swinging  rhythms  by  yourself.  Folk  music 
and  dances  are  good  for  this  sort  of  thing. 
People  are  generally  quite  siuprised  to 
find  that  the  ''Blue  Danube  Waltz"  swings 
up  and  back,  when  they  always  thought 
of  it  as  in  three  time. 

The  big  swing  gives  a  fundamental  sense 
of  rhythm  which  is  far  more  useful  than 
counting. 

Children  taught  in  this  way,  even  those 
who  appear  to  have  little  or  no  sense  of 
rhythm,  get  such  a  really  awakened  rhyth- 
mic sense  that  when  they  go  to  school  they 
are  picked  out  for  the  way  they  dance. 
The  sense  of  rhythm  is  potential  in  every 
one,  but  in  a  great  many  people  it  has  never 
been   awakened.     Sometimes    people   who 

46 


Rhythm 

play  very  well,  but  are  nervous,  lose  their 
nervousness  through  inwardly  realizing  the 
rhythmic  swing  while  they  are  playing.  Sev- 
eral such  cases  have  come  to  our  notice, 
and  concentration  upon  rhythm,  as  a  swing 
out  and  back,  has  a  steadying  influence 
upon  the  mind. 

To  be  able  to  feel  the  rhythm  of  something 
to  which  one  is  listening  makes  us  more 
conscious,  thereby  giving  us  a  better 
idea  of  what  the  composer  felt  dining  his 
contract  with  the  inner  world  of  beauty, 
whose  messages  he  is  delivering  to  us. 
Coimting  sometimes,  indeed  very  often, 
blocks  rhythm.  Time  is  inside  of  rhythm. 
It  is  the  mechanical  means  of  determining 
time.  In  the  "  Blue  Danube  Waltz,"  for  in- 
stance, the  time  is  i  2  3 — the  rhythm  is  2. 


i 


■:^±^ 


i 


3ir 


To  sing  a  tune,  and  at  the  same  time  to 
swing  its  rhythm,  is  a  good  way  of  learning 
to  feel  it.  Dalcroze  has  a  complete  system 
of  what  he  calls  Eurhythmies.    Even  for 

47 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

ordinary  people  who  have  no  time  to  spend 
in  special  studies,  some  of  his  ideas 
are  a  help.  For  instance,  take  the  ^^Blue 
Danube,"  and  swing  the  big  rhythhi  while 
you  step  the  time.  Swing  one,  two,  and 
step  123.  A  whole  family  could  easily 
grow  rhythmically  conscious  by  spending 
an  hour  or  so  in  the  evening  working  out 
these  fundamental  ideas.  Of  course  there 
are  complexities  of  rhythm,  but  these  are 
unnecessary  to  the  average  person,  and 
at  all  events  it  is  better  to  grow  funda- 
mentally rhythmic  before  trying  the 
complex. 

The  word  "rhythm"  is  sometimes  defined 
as  "proportion."  It  is  certain  that  there 
must  be  pulsation — or  motion — with  a 
sense  of  more  rest  in  one  spot  than  in 
another,  or  more  importance  in  one  spot 
than  in  another.  People  call  this  ' '  accent , ' ' 
but  this  seems  a  dangerous  word,  because 
it  often  leads  to  such  terrible  playing. 
People  should  not  put  an  "accent"  on  the 
first  note  of  every  measure.  It  is  like  re- 
citing poetry  with  jerky  emphasis  on  each 

important  word.     Music  flows;  it  does  not 

48 


Rhythm 

come  in  hunks.  When  a  great  master  is 
inspired  to  write  a  song  or  a  symphony  he 
does  not  hear  a  regularly  accented  string  of 
notes:  he  hears  a  musical  phrase  which  says 
something.     Take  the  lines, 


i( 


He  prayeth  best  who  loveth  best, 
All  things  both  great  and  small." 


Say  them  with  a  strong  accent  on  prayeth 
and  loveth,  and  you  have  that  impleasant 
jerkiness  which  is  not  beautiful.  It  is  the 
same  in  music.  People  often  play  in 
"bars,*'  as  they  call  it.  In  fact,  people 
very  often  practice  in  bars.  A  violinist 
once  rejoiced  that  he  had  '^gotten  outside 
of  bars,  at  last,"  meaning  that  he  had  been 
able  to  hear  a  musical  phrase  as  a  phrase 
and  not  as  lumps  of  sound.  It  is  really  a 
.  pity  that  music  has  to  be  written  with  bar 
lines,  and  people  ought  to  try  to  think  of 
music  in  phrases,  just  as  they  would  poetry. 
This  takes  away  the  dull,  unrhythmic 
quality  which  so  many  people  have  pain- 
fully acquired  by  coimting  in  bars  instead 
of  singing  in  phrases.     For  advanced  stu- 

49 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

dents  harmony  and  rhythm  are  closely 
linked,  and  the  harmony  colors  the  rhythm, 
one  might  say.  But  this  is,  as  Kipling 
says,  another  story.  Suffice  it  to  say, 
swing  the  big  rhythm — to  musical  phrases — 
and  you  will  become  more  and  more 
rhythmically  conscious.  Your  body  will 
respond  in  health  and  your  mind  in 
happiness. 


V 

I 

HARMONY 


What  is  it  to  be  really  musical?     When  you  have  music 
in  yotu:  heart  and  head. — Schumann. 


THE  great  need  of  the  world  to-day  is 
harmony.  We  all  realize  that  some- 
thing is  wrong  and  are  ready  to  try  some 
new  way.  But  everyone  will  agree  that 
there  must  be  a  state  of  repose  before  any- 
thing constructive  can  take  root.  Can 
music  contribute  practically  to  bringing 
about  this  state? 

In  a  preceding  chapter  we  dealt  with  the 
various  possibilities  of  melody  and  rhythm 
in  relation  to  general,  as  well  as  musical, 
education,  and  we  hope  that  the  reader 
now  realizes  that  there  is  a  definite  value 
to  be  obtained  from  a  better  understanding 
of  music.     To  achieve  not  only  this  better 

51 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

understanding,  but  to  make  music  a  com- 
ponent part  of  our  lives,  we  must  make 
each  of  its  three  elements  our  own.  We 
must  be  able  to  use  not  only  melody  and 
rhythm,  but  harmony  as  well.  As  we  have 
only  to  add  the  harmonies  to  find  greater 
beauties  in  a  melody,  so  we  have  but  to 
come  into  harmony  with  life  to  see  its 
fuller  beauties  and  possibilities. 

Now  the  harmony  of  music  and  the  har- 
mony of  life  both  have  for  their  fotmdation 
the  same  law — the  law  of  order.  Harmony 
in  music  is  not  the  intricate  study  that  we 
have  been  led  to  believe,  speaking  quite 
simply.  It  is  the  law  of  order  as  applied 
to  music.  Take,  for  example,  two  chords; 
one  clashes  and  jars,  giving  one  the  sense  of 
unrest,  while  the  other  gives  the  ear  and 
mind  a  sense  of  repose.  All  the  elements 
of  harmony  are  in  both,  and  when  we  have 
used  the  principles  of  harmony  the  first 
will  resolve  itself  into  the  second  and  be 
transformed.  For  in  reality  there  is  only 
one  chord,  just  as  there  is  only  one  God. 
All  the  other  chords  are  moving  toward 
this  one  chord,  just  as  we  mortals  are  all 

52 


Harmony 

moving  toward  a  realization  of  our  oneness 
with  God.  There  are,  in  other  words,  many 
elements,  which  taken  separately  are  un- 
harmonic,  but  when  brought  into  the 
proper  order  by  the  application  of  the  law, 
resolve  into  one  Great  Harmony. 

So  it  is  with  life.  If  in  our  imaginations, 
our  minds,  we  could  see  people  as  harmonic 
in  thought,  word,  and  deed,  that  is,  all 
striving,  however  discordantly,  to  attain 
some  kind  of  harmony  with  life,  we  would 
do  much  to  bring  about  the  very  state  of 
repose  for  which  the  whole  world  longs. 
But  we  must  do  even  more  than  this.  We 
must  bring  harmony  as  an  active  force  into 
their  lives,  and  what  better  way  is  there  of 
accomplishing  this  than  through  the  lan- 
guage that  everyone  loves — music? 

We  know  any  number  of  people  who  have 
changed  all  sorts  of  difficult  conditions  in 
their  lives  either  through  the  study  of  music 
or  by  the  harmonic  principle  in  life  becoming 
apparent  to  them  through  music.  A  young 
girl,  to  give  a  definite  and  personal  ex- 
perience, who  complained  bitterly  of  pov- 
erty, ill  health,  disappointment,  and  unkind 

53 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

.  treatment  of  friends  came  to  us  for  help. 
At  first  it  seemed  almost  hopeless,  because 
she  would  not  face  herself,  but  one  day  a 
rift  was  found  in  her  armor  which  made  her 
see  that  the  only  logical  way  of  ititerpreting 

\  life  is  to  know  that  the  outside  is  but  the 
reflection  of  the  inside;  that  if  there  was  a 
lack  of  harmony  in  her  objective,  external 
life  there  was  something  wrong  in  her. 
From  that  time  she  gradually  developed 
strength  of  character  enough  to  face  herself. 
One  by  one  she  overcame  the  dragons  of 
fear,  envy,  laziness,  worry,  and  self-pity 
that  had  blocked  her  progress,  and  grew 
into  a  splendid,  strong,  happy,  healthy,  and 
self-reliant  woman,  who  not  only  supports 
herself  comfortably,  but  is  able  to  volunteer 
a  great  deal  of  time  to  developing  harmony 
in  others. 

Then  we  knew  a  boy  whose  life  had  been 
much  handicapped  by  stuttering,  and  who 
had  quarreled  with  his  father,  who  suddenly 
awoke  to  the  symbolism  of  m^usic,  through 
harmonizing  times.  He  knocked  timidly  at 
my  door,  drew  close  to  me  and  whispered: 
*'What  is  this?     I  feel  that  life  is  changed. 

54 


Harmony 

I  can  talk  without  stuttering  and  my  father 
came  and  put  his  arm  around  me  and 
brought  me  home.  Now  I  believe  I  can 
have  anything  I  want.**  Later  he  was  sent 
to  a  imiversity  and  educated  for  t^e  pro- 
fession he  had  dreamed  of. 

Another  girl  was  handicapped,  appar- 
ently, by  the  most  distressing  home  condi- 
tions— a  drunken  father,  a  sick  mother,  and 
a  lazy  streak  in  herself.  Once  awake  to  the 
possibilities  of  the  harmonic  law,  she  worked 
unceasingly  with  herself,  doing  everything, 
on  the  material  plane  as  well  as  on  the  men- 
tal and  spiritual,  to  harmonize  every  dis- 
sonance. In  a  few  years  she  had  moved 
her  family  into  a  better  apartment,  had 
given  her  mother  the  nourishing  food  and 
fresh  air  that  would  restore  her  health,  and 
had  deported  the  drunken  father  to  an 
environment  which  better  suited  his  im- 
harmonized  consciousness. 

Harmony  is  not  a  passive  thing;  it  is 
active  and  alive  and  as  contagious  as  the 
measles.  But  the  law  works  both  ways; 
just  as  one  bad  apple  in  a  barrel  will  spoil 
all  the  rest,  so  will  an  inharmonious  person 

55 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

create  an  atmosphere  which  will  commtini- 
cate  itself  to  everyone  who  comes  within  his 
reach.  Like  the  inkfish  which  is  armed 
with  a  pouch  full  of  inky  fluid  for  the  pur- 
pose of  blinding  its  enemies,  how  easily 
a  depressed  person  casts  an  inky  gloom 
around  a  room!  On  the  other  hand,  one 
person  who  is  in  time  will  harmonize  a 
whole  family  without  saying  a  word.  How 
quickly  a  jolly  and  well-harmonized  person 
will  bring  up  the  tone  of  that  same  group 
of  people!  We  can  all  tune  up  every 
thought,  word,  and  deed.  Time  up  our 
own  instruments  that  we  may  each  take  our 
place  in  the  great  orchestra  which  plays 
the  symphony  of  life. 

Most  people  imagine,  on  hearing  the  word 
''harmony"  in  relation  to  the  study  of 
music,  that  it  implies  long  years  of  dry 
plodding.  Such  has  too  often  been  the 
case,  but  is  no  longer  so.  Anyone  can  be 
taught  through  listening  to  recognize  the 
simple  harmonies  of  a  tune,  and  everyone 
should  be  taught.  For,  when  the  law  of 
harmony  is  embodied  in  the  cellular  struc- 
ture of  our  bodies,  its  outer  expression  is 

56 


Harmony 

health  and  peace.  Health,  mental  and 
physical,  should  always  be  our  first  con- 
sideration, since  no  great  heights  can  be 
attained  without  it.  So,  if  listening  under- 
standingly  will  help  to  bring  about  peace 
and  health,  we  have  within  our  grasp  not 
only  our  development  in  the  art  of  music, 
but  through  it  our  development  in  life. 

To  make  this  effective  there  is  a  simple 
musical  training  which  will  wake  in  us  our 
latent  harmonic  consciousness.  This  in 
turn  will  give  us  a  practical  knowledge  of 
harmony  in  music  and  arouse  in  us  a  corre- 
sponding vibration  in  our  bodies  and  lives. 

Given  a  tune,  the  object  is  to  be  able  to 
hear  its  harmonic  setting.  Negroes  and 
South  Sea  Islanders  can  do  this  without 
training.  Children  unspoiled  by  mechan- 
ical training  can  "hear  under" — that  is, 
hear  naturally  the  imderlying  harmonies  of 
a  melody.  At  the  Music  School  Settle- 
ment in  New  York  we  have  tested  hundreds 
of  children,  and  only  about  three  out  of 
every  hundred  are  unable  to  hear  and  sing 
the  fundamental  harmonies.  So  we  find 
that  the  three  harmonies  are  potentially 

57 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

present  in  everyone.  God  is  no  respecter 
of  persons,  and  harmony  is  the  gift  of  God. 
But  it  remains  for  us,  having  found  it  in 
ourselves,  to  accept  the  gift  and  use  it  for 
our  own  development  and  the  betterment 
of  the  world. 

The  first  step  for  one  who  desires  this  har- 
monic education  is  to  hear  the  keynote. 
That  music  means  more  when  the  keynote 
is  heard  is  quite  natural  when  one  realizes 
that  it  is  in  this  way  that  the  inner  realm  of 
harmony  is  consciously  contacted.  We 
grope  around  in  darkness,  seeking  peace, 
rest,  and  quiet,  quarreling  with  life  and 
everyone  about  us  because  we  do  not  achieve 
satisfaction,  when  right  in  our  very  midst 
is  the  path  to  the  sun  which  will  illimiine 
us. 

''Ye  have  eyes  and  see  not,  ears  have  ye 
and  ye  hear  not.'*  It  is  these  imhearing 
ears  and  imseeing  eyes  that  have  been  the 
cause  of  our  inharmony.  But,  through 
the  proper  understanding  of  music,  hearing 
ears  and  seeing  eyes  will  be  developed, 
opening  up  new  worlds  of  sound  and  sight 
within  us.     For  these  faculties  are  given 

58 


Harmony 

us  as  tools,  and  through  their  right  use  we 
can  here  and  now  bring  about  for  ourselves 
infinitely  better,  happier,  and  fuller  lives. 
Too  many  people  say,  **When  I  make 
enough  money  I  shall  retire  and  take  up 
music  as  an  amusement."  That  is  putting 
the  cart  before  the  horse.  Since  fiillness  of 
life  is  that  which  everyone  desires,  why  put 
off  imtil  the  end  of  life  the  study  which 
would  accomplish  this  purpose?  Why  not 
turn  about  and  get  a  knowledge  of  the  law 
of  harm.ony  which  would  increase  a  thou- 
sandfold the  consciousness  and  appreciation 
of  life,  love,  and  truth? 

A  great  many  people,  especially  men  and 
boys,  probably  because  their  voices  lie  low, 
often  play  good  basses  to  college  songs, 
hymns,  etc.  It  is  natural  to  them,  but  the 
trouble  is  that  they  do  this  unconsciously. 
Now  we,  as  human  beings,  are  above  the 
animals  in  point  of  evolution;  we  have  the 
power  to  do  what  we  do  consciously  and 
with  reason  rather  than  by  instinct.  We 
have  the  ability  to  mentally  rehearse  an 
experience,  thus  registering  the  image  upon 
the  brain.     Therefore,  if  these  basses  are 

6  59 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

played  consciously  and  tinderstandingly, 
the  whole  principle  of  harmony  will  be 
understood  and  become  of  practical  use. 

As  with  everything  else,  we  must  begin 
at  the  beginning.  We  too  often  build 
without  a  proper  foundation,  thereby  only 
cheating  ourselves;  nor  does  this  apply 
alone  to  the  lay  musician.  A  great  many 
accomplished  performers  and  teachers  have 
done  the  same  thing.  They  can  play  a 
Chopin  scherzo,  but  ask  them  to  play 
''  'Way  Down  upon  the  Suwanee  River" 
and  they  are  lost.  They  cannot  do  it 
without  notes. 

How  curious  it  is  that  we  have  gone  on 
all  these  years  deluding  and  fooling  our- 
selves into  thinking  that  performing  a  few 
easily  forgotten  "pieces"  is  knowing  music! 
If  anything  in  life  is  not  of  practical,  every- 
day use,  what  good  is  it?  Music  should  not 
be  a  thing  apart  from  the  rest  of  life. 
We  must  hear  inwardly  in  order  to  have  a 
better  outward  life.  We  must  understand 
melody,  harmony,  and  rhythm  really  to 
enter  into  the  realization  of  music;  to  so 
find  harmony,  beauty,  and  serenity  within 

60 


Harmony 

ourselves,  and  from  that  center  change  our 
characters  and  life  conditions. 

In  looking  at  pictures  we  get  the  effects 
of  outline  and  color  by  knowing  an  angle 
from  a  curve,  and  being  able  to  distinguish 
red  from  yellow;  it  is  much  the  same  in 
music.  We  enter  into  the  spirit  of  music 
by  intellligently  hearing  from  within  the 
direction  which  the  melody  takes,  its 
rhythm,  the  keynote,  and  the  fundamental 
chords  underlying  it.  There  are  three 
chords,  the  eternal  triangle,  always  resolv- 
ing into  one.  Anyone  can  learn  to  in- 
wardly hear  these  chords  under  a  melody. 
The  first  step  is  the  right  attitude  of  mind — 
that  is,  faith  and  confidence  in  the  power  to 
hear,  and  this  is  dependent  upon  mental 
and  physical  relaxation.  To  become  re- 
laxed and  still,  requires  a  certain  technique 
and  discipline.  It  does  not  take  long  for 
the  average  person  to  accomplish  this,  but, 
like  everything  else,  it  differs  with  the  in- 
dividual. The  easiest  way  to  relax  is  to 
repeat  some  verse  or  v\^ords  that  present  the 
idea  of  quiet  to  the  mind  and  the  body. 

Having  become  as  relaxed  as  possible,  play 

6i 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

a  scale  downward,  beginning  on  C.  When 
you  have  played  seven  notes  pause  and 
analyze  your  feeling.  It  will  be  one  of  un- 
rest, incompleteness.  Add  an  eighth  note, 
another  C,  and  the  resulting  feeling  will  be 
one  of  rest,  completion.  Repeat  this  ex- 
ercise, only  vary  it  a  trifle  by  playing  the 
scale  upward.  Here  you  will  find  the  same 
feeling  of  incompletion  until  you  add  the 
final  C.  Try  this  in  other  scales  and  the 
effect  will  always  be  the  same,  so  perforce 
we  learn  that  the  law  of  order  demands 
that  all  sounds,  notes,  progress  either  down- 
ward toward  the  first  note  or  sound,  or  up- 
ward to  a  repetition  of  the  first  note,  the 
eighth  of  the  scale.  Having  found  that 
this  is  true  in  the  simplest  of  all  tunes,  see 
if  it  is  not  equally  true  in  the  folk  song  and 
other  simple  airs.  Now  this  note  from 
which  all  the  other  notes  proceed  and  return 
is  called  the  keynote.  It  is  an  astonishing 
fact  that  two-thirds  of  the  people  who  play 
are  unconscious  of  the  key  in  which  they 
are  playing.  Key  in  music  is  lilvc  home  in 
life:  it  is  the  resting  place,  the  note  that 
receives,  we  might  say,  all  of  the  others 

62 


Harmony 

and  to  which  they  all  go  quite  naturally. 
It  is  from  this  note  that  the  piece,  be  it 
song,  sonata,  or  symphony,  gets  its  signa- 
ture. We  say  a  sonata  is  in  F  if  its  keynote 
is  F,  or  in  A  if  its  keynote  is  A,  or  in  D  if  its 
keynote  is  D. 

Sing  "Tramp,  Tramp,  Tramp,  the  Boys 
Are  Marching,"  and  stop  here: 


-■^A — 1 — 

X-, — 

*  • 

-5- 

— p— - 

=tH 

N              \ 

K-V  •*      ' 

^ 

u 

^                \ 

Ask  yourself  whether  you  have  landed  on 
a  note  that  gives  a  sense  of  completion. 
No?  Then  go  on  until  you  do,  and  it  will 
be: 


g 


f 


3^ 


Sz^ 


:?s: 


This  is  the  keynote. 

Having  trained  yourself  by  singing  the 
keynote  of  innumerable  songs,  etc.,  you 
are  then  in  a  position  to  go  farther.  Since 
you  have  already  established  the  keynote 
of  ''Tramp,  Tramp,  Tramp,  the  Boys  Are 
Marching,"  let  us  continue  with  that  song. 

63 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

Sing  over  the  first  phrase  slowly.  Listen 
attentively  and  try  to  hear  the  first  under- 
lying chord.  Do  not  feel  around  on  the 
piano  for  it;  wait  until  you  have  heard  it 
within,  then  play  it.  Having  found  the 
first  harmony,  the  first  chord,  which  in  this 
case  would  be 


:4: 


:?=: 


that  is  the  I  chord  based  on  the  keynote, 
which  is  C.  (We  have  chosen  the  key  of 
C  because  to  most  people  it  is  the  easiest 
of  keys,  but  any  key  w^ill  do  as  well.)  Now 
sing  the  next  phrase  and  see  if  you  hear  a 
like  harmony;  failing  to  do  so,  continue 
until  you  do.  Having  firmly  established 
this  chord  in  your  consciousness,  return  to 
the  beginning  and  commence  a  new  search 
for  a  new  harmony.     This  harmony  will  be 


x=t 


59^ 


WL^Z 


:4: 


^=^ 


£:— r- 


::p:_Ki:ji3:i^: 


t-f^. 


64 


Harmony 

the  V  chord  whose  base  or  root  note  is  the 
fifth  of  the  scale,  or  G.  This  chord  is  a 
restless  chord,  it  can  never  stay  put,  but 
must  move  up  or  down,  one  way  or  the 
other,  and  the  law  of  harmony  demands 
that  it  resolve  itself  into  the  I  chord,  so  we 
have 


i 


ZM         »     ZZMl 


f 


-^z=^ 


WtZJ^ 


:s: 


-F f- 


^-=^ 


»?^=t2: 


-^ 


J—^'s::^-^ N — 5- 

"■*«      ^   *  •    5     f* 

'    •        m 

^-r- r ^--»^ 

V 

Fs  •  ^— ^ — ^    1 — 
I 

=U^^'^ 

*^  ^ 

^ 

A  new  harmony  now  presents  itself  and  we 
hear 


i?i#^f-S^?=*^ 

^^=^- 

— ff-^^5*-? 

— ,«=s ^ , 

I 

-^    I— 
I 

^ 

V 

-1 — x—»^-^ 

^-3-^ 

?& 

-§ 

6s 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 


4— g--*— ta ^—\- 


^^^^_ 


4r:f 


IV 


-Mr    ■^.. 


I 


:?s: 


IV 


V 

— 1- 


the  IV  chord  built  on  the  foiirth  of  the 
scale,  F,  which,  though  not  so  determinedly 
restless  as  V,  still  must  resolve  back  to  the 
I  chord,  as  you  will  hear  in  the  last  phrase. 

These  are  the  three  fundamental  chords 
that  you  must  seek  to  hear  imder  every 
melody  that  comes  to  your  ears.  Thor- 
oughly to  familiarize  yourself  with  them, 
reverse  the  exercise  and  instead  of  singing 
the  melody,  waiting  imtil  you  hear  the 
harmony  and  then  playing  it,  play  the 
melody,  wait  until  you  are  conscious  of  the 
harmony,  then  sing  its  root  note,  the  note 
on  which  the  two  upper  notes  stand. 
Having  sung  this,  sing  the  two  remaining 
notes  of  the  chord. 

66 


Harmony 

If  you  will  continue  this  practice  faith- 
fully over  a  few  weeks,  you  will  gradually 
wake  within  yourself  that  source  of  har- 
mony and  peace  that  will  draw  everything 
in  your  life  into  its  proper  relation,  as  well 
as  enable  you  to  harmonize  simple  tunes. 

So  you  come  to  hear  the  three  funda- 
mental chords  that  are  all  in  reality  that 
there  is  to  harmony.  The  rest  are  merged 
chords,  blended  out  of  these  three  funda- 
mentals, just  as  we  blend  colors.  If  you 
know  the  three  primary  colors,  red,  yellow, 
and  blue,  you  have  the  key  to  all  the  rest. 
Knowing  the  principle  or  law  of  any  sub- 
ject gives  you  the  power  of  working  out 
every  possible  problem  connected  with  that 
subject. 

In  this  way  we  get  at  the  inside  or  truth 
of  music.  One  word  to  remember  is  "wait." 
If  you  are  listening  for  the  keynote,  relax 
and  wait  until  you  hear  it.  Do  not  think. 
This  listening  is  deeper  than  thought.  It 
is  feeling. 

If  you  want  to  hear  the  keynote,  give 
yourself  part  of  a  tune,  then  in  silence  and 
peaceful  expectation  wait  imtil  your  inner 

67 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

ear  reports  that  note  to  you.  This  process 
is  a  much  more  natural  one  than  we  think. 
There  is  nothing  mysterious  about  it. 
We  are  each  one  of  us  a  part  of  the  whole, 
therefore  why  should  we  not,  by  realizing 
a  certain  quietness  and  oneness  with  that 
whole,  be  given  the  answer  to  any  question? 
A  drop  of  water  partakes  of  all  the  qualities 
of  an  immense  reservoir,  then  why  should 
we  not  partake  of  all  the  qualities  of  the 
universal  life? 

This  brings  us  to  the  consideration  of  two 
other  parts  of  harmony.  The  first  is  what 
is  known  as  "mode" — that  is,  the  music 
you  are  playing  in  the  minor  mode  or  the 
major.  Again  it  is  a  question  of  listening. 
Play  the  chord  of  C  (C,  E,  G),  change  the 
middle  note  to  E  flat,  then  play  these  chords 
again,  first  one,  then  the  other,  trying  to 
analyze  the  feeling  they  give  you.  C,  E,  G 
is  in  the  major  mode,  C,  E  flat,  G  is  in  the 
minor.  People  sometimes  say  that  the 
minor  is  sad,  and  it  is  true  that  all  funeral 
marches  are  written  in  the  minor  mode. 
But  there  are  a  number  of  compositions 
written  in  the  minor  mode  which  are  not 

68 


Harmony 

sad,  such  as  ''The  Wild  Horseman'*  of 
Schumann  and  ''The  Album  Leaf*  of 
Grieg.  Still,  specialists  in  folk  music  main- 
tain that  oppressed  people  always  express 
themselves  in  the  minor  mode. 

All  children  do  not  by  any  means  feel  the 
minor  to  be  sad.  If  you  play  these  two 
chords  to  a  child,  asking  what  difference 
he  finds,  he  may  answer  you  in  the  terms  of 
color.  Some  say  that  the  minor  is  "deep- 
er." One  seven-year-old  child,  when  hear- 
ing the  minor  chord  for  the  first  time,  said, 
"I  am  alone  in  a  desert." 

Bach  usually  ended  a  composition  with  a 
major  chord,  even  though  he  had  written 
the  whole  of  it  in  the  minor,  thereby  con- 
veying the  idea  that  he  considered  the  minor 
unfinished.  Busoni,  in  a  little  book  called 
Esthetics  in  Music,  says  there  is  but  one 
mode,  the  major  mode. 

Looking  upon  this  question  from  the 
psychological  standpoint,  it  is  easy  to  af- 
firm that  for  the  average  person  the  major 
mode  is  the  more  wholesome,  since  it  is 
both  more  cheerful  and  more  positive. 

If  you  wish  to  learn  to  hear  whether  a 

69 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

composition   is   written    in   the   major   or 
minor    mode,     drill     yourself     on     chords 


C  Maj.     C  Min. 


G  Maj.      GMin.  F  Maj.      F  Min. 


i 


-(S»- 


-<S)- 


and  sing. 

In  order  to  read  music  intelligently  one 
has  to  understand  the  so-called  relative 
minor.  The  scale  of  the  relative  minor 
begins  on  the  sixth  of  the  major  scale. 


g 


1 


■:^- 


3 


4 


-6- 


— 8- 


In  learning  to  read  music  you  must  bear 
in  mind  the  fact  that  the  same  signature 
may  designate  either  the  major  or  its 
relative  minor.  Also  help  yourself  by  lis- 
tening intently  to  the  first  strains  of  any 
music  you  hear  and  deciding  whether  it  is 
major  or  minor. 

The  next  point  to  take  up  in  connection 
with  the  understanding  of  practical  har- 
mony   is   what    is    called  modulation — the 

70 


Harmony 

changing  from  one  key  to  another.     It  is 
not  easy  to  explain  this  on  paper. 

The  wisest  way  to  approach  this  subject 
is  to  first  hear  where  a  tune  ceases  to  be 
in  one  key  and  goes  into  another — that  is, 
where  its  keynote  changes.  Take  the  fol- 
lowing example: 


Key  of  C. 


3 


^3^ 


^— :^— ^:il: 


^-"-r^— -^ 


i 


Key  of  G. 


T 


:i=«*: 


r^- 


:S=«*: 


--=^ 


Key  of  G. 


The  keynote  changes  from  C  to  G  at  the 
point  marked.  When  you  have  heard  that 
this  is  so  then  seek  to  find  how  it  changes. 
This  involves  hearing  an  added  note  to  the 
V  chord,  and  the  five  chord  of  the  new 
scale  at  that.  But  to  make  it  clearer  here 
is  an  illustration.  Suppose  you  want  to  go 
from  the  key  of  C  into  the  key  of  G;  the 
easiest  possible  modulation  is  to  play  four 
notes  up  from  C — that  is,  C,  D,  E — then 
when  you  come  to  F,  sharp  it,  pause  and  sing 
what  you  hear  under  it,  and  you  have 

n 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 


zj: 


4^^E^=zii— «*-F-$^ 


m 


to 


the  dominant  seventh  chord — that  is,  the 
dominant  chord  of  G  plus  its  seventh  note. 
But  it  must  be  admitted  that  to  do  this 
without  help  is  extremely  difficiilt. 


VI 

MUSIC   FOR   CHILDREN 

The  education  of  heroes  shall  be  gymnastics  for  the  body 
and  music  for  the  soul.     Begin  the  education  with  music. 

— Plato. 

MOTHERHOOD  is  to  the  race  what  the 
keynote  is  to  music.  Of  all  women, 
mothers  and  teachers  are  the  most  im- 
portant. The  right  attitude  toward  moth- 
erhood is  a  subject  that  we  are  just  begin- 
ning to  treat  with  any  degree  of  intelligence 
and  common  sense. 

Why,  when  everything  depends  upon 
bringing  a  better  type  of  hiiman  being 
into  the  world,  do  we  treat  the  subject  of 
sex  and  children  as  though  it  were  some- 
thing to  be  ashamed  of?  The  greatest  of 
all  teachers  called  the  body  the  temple  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  and  yet,  up  to  the  present 
time,  people  have  married  and  children  have 
been  bom  one  might  say  carelessly,  without 

73 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

preparation.  We  educate  our  young  girls 
in  all  sorts  of  surface  ways,  give  them  social 
s avoir  faire,  teaching  them  all  sorts  of 
superficial  things,  and  leaving  the  great 
subject  of  motherhood  and  preparation  for 
it,  untouched. 

Take  the  subject  of  music  as  an  example. 
Instead  of  teaching  a  girl  the  beginning  of 
music,  the  fundamentals,  which  she  can  in 
turn  pass  on  to  her  children  or  use  to  en- 
liven and  harmonize  the  home  life,  we  en- 
courage her  to  acquire  an  amount  of  tech- 
nical skill,  which  depletes  her  physically, 
being  the  wrong  kind  of  technique,  and 
which  enables  her  only  to  play  music  that 
is  over  her  own  head,  as  well  as  the  heads 
of  most  of  her  family  and  friends. 

These  "pieces"  which  she  learns  at  such 
a  cost  of  energy  and  time,  to  say  nothing 
of  her  father's  pocketbook,  are  forgotten 
and  laid  aside  as  soon  as  she  marries.  Ask 
any  convention  of  mothers  about  their 
musical  education,  and  you  will  get  the 
same  answer  from  90  per  cent  of  them. 
They  never  "seemed  to  get  anywhere  with 
their  music,  so  they  dropped  it.'*    Though 

74 


Music  for  Children 

they  all  wish  they  had  kept  it  up  for  their 
children's  sake,  and  husband  would  appre- 
ciate some  simple  music,  too. 

Girls  are  the  future  mothers  of  the  race, 
and  education  must  take  that  fact  into 
consideration.  Now,  what  can  a  mother  do 
who  has  had  the  old-fashioned  musical 
education?  She  can  first  sit  down  and 
think  out  the  question  of  music  for  children 
and  decide  why  she  thinks  they  should  have 
it  and  what  results  will  follow  in  developing 
their  lives.  We  need  to  do  more  real 
thinking  to  determine  what  things  we  want 
for  our  children  and  what  the  benefits  are 
going  to  be. 

Picture  a  house  where  there  is  absolutely 
no  music,  no  piano,  no  singing,  not  even  a 
phonograph  or  a  pianola.  Is  there  not  a 
dead,  depressed  feeling  about  such  an  at- 
mosphere? Environment  is  an  all -important 
factor  in  the  rearing  of  children,  not  merely 
material  environment  in  which  everything  is 
done  for  the  physical  welfare  of  the  child, 
but  the  spiritual  environment  which  we 
may  term  atmosphere,  abused  as  this  word 
has  become. 

6  •  75 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

A  kitchen  may  have  a  better  atmosphere, 
and  often  has,  than  a  drawing-room.  Why? 
It  is  the  state  of  mind  of  those  who  are  in  it. 
Many  a  mother  supplies  material  comfort 
in  every  detail  and  yet  starves  her  children 
of  the  very  thing  they  need  so  much.  What 
can  music  do  to  supply  this  lack?  For 
example,  picture  a  mother  off  in  the  cotintry 
where  there  are  no  concerts,  and  where  the 
village  choir  sings  out  of  tune;  where,  if 
there  are  pianos,  the  ever-present  popular 
songs  are  all  that  can  be  fotind  on  the  racks. 
The  children  sing  a  hymn  or  two  and  a  few 
songs,  but  music  is,  in  the  real  sense,  an 
unknown  quantity.  This  mother  can  eas- 
ily learn  to  use  music  for  the  highest  and 
most  permanent  good  of  her  children,  and 
also  her  husband  and  friends,  simply  by 
using  intelligently  the  limited  means  within 
her  grasp.  If  she  can  read  music  fairly 
well,  and  most  girls  can,  her  first  step 
should  be  to  acquire  some  book  of  folk  songs 
and  dances  (see  Appendix)  and  some  chil- 
dren's songs,  which  are  simple  and  have 
constructive  words. 

An  hour  of  this  music  just  before  bed- 

76 


Music  for  Children 

time  will  prove  of  immense  benefit,  for  the 
consciousness  of  the  child  will  be  thoroughly 
harmonized  and  will  work  all  through 
sleep  in  a  constructive,  harmonizing  way. 
It  is  a  scientific  fact  that  the  subconscious 
mind  takes  up  the  thoughts  with  which  it 
is  supplied,  and  during  sleep,  when  the 
objective  mind  is  stilled,  works  out  those 
thoughts  in  exact  likeness,  producing  an 
effect  in  the  external  life  exactly  similar  to 
the  cause.  Therefore  it  is  of  the  utmost 
importance  that  our  thoughts  should  be 
happy  and  constructive  just  before  we  go 
to  sleep. 

An  hour  of  good  music  at  bedtime  will  so 
/  harmonize  the  child's  consciousness  that  he 
will  go  to  sleep  happy  and  serene.  Those 
thoughts  will  do  their  imfailing  work  of  re- 
building, physically,  mentally,  and  spirit- 
ually, all  through  the  night,  and  the  child 
will  awaken  in  the  morning  in  the  same 
happy,  healthy  frame  of  mind. 

Play  over  some  of  these  folk  dances  and 
let  the  children  skip  around  and  act  out 
what  is  in  the  dance.  Musical  folk  games 
are  splendid  and  give  children  a  sense  of 

77 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

rhythm.  They  feel  that  everything  moves 
more  easily  when  done  to  music,  and  they 
play  together  as  one  harmonious  group. 
The  spirit  of  play  and  joy  seems  quite 
natural. 

Every  mother  should  realize  that  she 
must  supply  something  by  which  har- 
mony is  maintained.  Leaving  little  chil- 
dren alone  means  whining,  quarreling,  de- 
manding candy,  toys,  etc.  Music  is  such  a 
force  for  bringing  people  together  and  mak- 
ing them  forget  themselves  that  the  older 
members  of  a  family  are  fully  as  much 
benefited  by  it  as  the  children. 
-/  We  have  spoken  of  the  importance  of 
music  before  the  child  goes  to  sleep.  It  is 
equally  important  to  have  it  in  the  morn- 
ing when  consciousness  is  brought  back  to 
the  waking  state,  to  maintain  that  harmo- 
nious attitude  throughout  the  day.  There- 
fore it  is  of  equal  importance  to  start  the 
day  with  a  song  or  two. 

The  Hindus  have  a  morning  song,  a  song 

^  for  noon,  an  evening  song,  and  a  song  for 

midnight.      They    have    songs    of    praise, 

songs  of  love,  songs  of  joy,  songs  of  peace, 

78 


Music  for  Children 

and  many  others.     To  them  the  home  is  a 
sacred  temple  and  the  parents  the  priest 
and   priestess   of   the   actual   presence   of 
God,  who  is  acknowledged  and  rejoiced  in 
with  every  homely  event  of  the  day.    This 
_is  idealizing  the  real  in  a  practical  way. 
It  is  quite  easy  if  a  mother  will  take  the 
trouble  to  give  the  children  the  right  fun- 
damental training  in  music,  which  makes  it 
an  actually  understood  language  to  them 
from  the  very  first. 
\        A  child  learns  to  speak  through  speaking, 
V  to  walk  by  walking,  and  to  sing  by  singing. 
Experience  versus  formal  knowledge  is  the 
new  idea  in  everything.     ^'I  prefer  to  do 
rather  than  talk"  might  be  the  motto  of  the 
new  educational  teacher. 

Having  found  within  herself  the  laws  of 
melody,  rhythm,  and  harmony  a  mother 
will  be  able  to  communicate  them  to  her 
children,  and  thus  not  only  smooth  out 
rough  places  in  the  daily  lives  of  the  family, 
but  awaken  in  the  children  a  real  love  and 
appreciation  of  music.  More  than  that, 
she  will  teach  them  the  right  process  for  all 
study — that    is,    from    within    out.     First 

79 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

silence,  then  listening,  then  understanding, 
then  remembering,  then  singing,  and  finally 
playing. 

The  pleasure  of  music  is  thus  made  to 
serve  a  definite  purpose  in  life,  establishing 
a  true  relationship  and  co-ordination,  and 
giving  the  children  a  technique  by  which 
they  may  live  in  a  more  practically  ideal 
way. 

But  a  good  many  mothers  have  no  time 
to  give  to  the  study  of  music,  so  the  work 
which  should  really  be  done  by  the  mother 
herself  must  be  given  over  to  teachers, 
and  here  we  must  pause  to  say  a  word  for 
and  about  teachers. 

During  the  war  a  number  of  our  teachers 
ran  elevators  as  a  patriotic  service,  and 
when  the  war  ended  they  continued  to  do 
so  because  the  salary  paid  an  elevator 
operator  was  so  miuch  more  adequate  in 
relation  to  living  than  what  they  were  able 
to  earn  by  teaching.  Everyone  knows  that 
whereas  a  painter,  plumber,  or  carpenter  is 
receiving  a  living  wage,  teachers  are  still 
getting  so  little  that  they  often  suffer  for 
the  lack  of  the  necessities  of  life,  to  say 

80 


Music  for  Children 

nothing  of  the  things  that  would  aid  them 
to  become  better  teachers.  For  the  study 
of  any  art  by  a  person  who  aims  to  teach 
it  is  a  long,  slow,  and  difficult  process.  It 
requires  not  only  health,  vision,  and  contact 
with  the  best  in  the  musical  world,  but  a 
knowledge  of  general  education,  of  the 
other  arts,  of  psychology,  and  of  child 
psychology  in  particular.  To  these  must 
be  added  sufficient  time  for  continued  and 
concentrated  work,  and  all  this  costs  a  great 
deal  of  money. 

To  be  sure,  all  teachers  are  not  single- 
minded,  they  are  human,  and  sometimes, 
through  chance  or  circumstance  rather  than 
real  preference,  they  become  music  teachers 
from  a  business  motive.  But  these  are  in 
the  minority.  We  have  found  most  teach- 
ers self-sacrificing  and  devoted  to  their 
work,  pitifully  lacking  in  the  ordinary  com- 
forts of  life  and  in  the  peace  of  mind  and 
state  of  health  which  a  little  more  money 
would  give  them.  Even  a  so-called,  high- 
priced  music  teacher  is  financially  insecure. 
Her  season  is  short,  people  are  thoughtless 
in  regard  to  discontinuing  their  lessons,  and 

8i 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

her  expenses  are  heavier  than  those  of  other 
teachers.  For  the  new  teaching  demands 
enthusiasm,  and  she  must  avoid  getting 
into  a  rut.  This  means  keeping  her  health, 
optimism,  and  peace  of  mind;  it  means 
keeping  aHve  the  artistic  side  of  her  mu- 
sical life  through  practice,  study,  and  con- 
tact with  the  world  of  music,  and  at  the 
same  time  keeping  her  intellect  awake  in 
some  big  way  to  avoid  becoming  dried  up. 
In  addition,  she  must  allow  some  time  for 
her  own  life,  for  companionship,  and  happi- 
ness of  a  personal  nature.  So,  from  a 
purely  selfish  standpoint,  society  should 
consider  giving  teachers  a  comfortable  liv- 
ing. To  this  remark  there  sometimes  comes 
back  the  answer,  ''Too  much  would  spoil 
them.''  A  little  spoiling  certainly  would 
not  harm  hundreds  of  teachers  whom  it  has 
been  our  privilege  and  pleasure  to  know. 
To  end  this  subject,  here  is  one  little  inci- 
dent drawn  from  actual  life: 

At  the  Music  School  Settlement  we  have 
the  children  of  a  great  many  workers  whose 
trade  is  imcertain.  Sometimes  there  are 
long  periods  of  dullness,  during  which  there 

82 


Music  for  Children 

IS  literally  no  income.  When  this  occurs 
music  lessons,  cheap  as  they  are  and  as  much 
as  they  are  loved  and  longed  for,  become 
prohibitive.  At  such  times  dozens  of  chil- 
dren drop  out.  During  one  of  these  periods 
a  faculty  meeting  was  called  to  ascertain 
whether  the  teachers,  whose  pupils  had 
been  forced  to  drop  out,  could  possibly 
make  time  to  visit  these  children  and  find 
out  what  probability  there  was  of  their  re- 
turning. It  then  came  out  that  two-thirds 
of  these  children  were  being  privately 
taught  for  nothing  by  teachers  who  we  well 
knew  were  driven  all  day  long  by  the 
necessity  of  earning  a  living,  not  only  for 
themselves,  but  in  many  cases  for  some  de- 
pendent. So  much  for  the  teacher,  her 
vital  interest  in  her  work  and  her  self- 
sacrifice. 

We  find  that  five  is  a  good  age  to  begin 
the  musical  education  of  a  child,  though  he 
should  have  had  a  musical  environment 
before  he  was  bom  and  every  day  there- 
after. What  is  meant  by  musical  educa- 
tion is  that  a  definite  hour  for  music  be 
set  apart  two  or  three  times  a  week,  in 

83 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

which  some  understanding  person  (prefer- 
ably the  mother)  shall  begin  to  awaken  the 
musical  consciousness  in  the  child.  It 
would  be  ideal  to  have  a  group  of  six  chil- 
dren, all  about  the  same  age,  assemble  each 
day,  and  under  the  guidance  of  the  right 
person  play  musical  games,  swing  and  walk 
rhythms,  sing  songs  or  sing  about  things 
just  as  they  would  naturally  talk  about 
them.  We  have  learned  through  intimate 
contact  with  children  that  they  do  naturally 
chant  or  sing  about  everything  if  the 
teacher  or  mother  sets  the  example  by  hav- 
ing songs  for  the  simple  functions  of  daily 
life. 

It  certainly  lends  romance  and  buoyancy 
to  the  endless  washings  and  brushings  and 
dressings  that  have  to  be  attended  to  with 
children  if  we  sing  to  them.  The  same 
philosophy  holds  good  here  as  elsewhere. 
If  you  are  singing  with  your  whole  being 
you  cannot  be  worried,  cross,  angry,  or 
really  idle. 

Such  a  class  for  children  aims  to  stir  up 
the  musical  consciousness  of  the  child. 
The  results  are  sometimes  quite  startling, 

84 


Music  for  Children 

For  instance,  a  rather  awkward  and  ap- 
parently unmusical  child,  the  little  daughter 
of  a  well-known  sculptor,  suddenly  began  to 
dance  so  exquisitely  that  people  asked 
whether  she  had  been  trained  by  Miss 
Duncan,  and  could  not  believe  that  she  had 
not  been  specially  trained. 

It  is  difficult  to  describe  one  of  these 
classes,  and  well-nigh  impossible  to  give 
anyone  written  directions  as  to  how  to 
conduct  one. 

In  one  instance  the  principal  of  a  big 
school,  seeing  the  apparent  simplicity  of 
these  classes,  tried  to  introduce  them  by 
telling  the  music  teachers  what  to  do. 
But  after  a  little  he  was  surprised  to  dis- 
cover that  it  was  not  so  ''easy  as  it  looked '* ; 
it  certainly  is  not  so  easy  as  it  looks. 

Seeing  six  little  children  dancing  about 
to  music,  swinging  their  arms,  singing  songs, 
or  playing  a  musical  game  makes  some 
people  ask,  ''Do  you  call  this  a  lesson?'' 
This  makes  us  smile.  It  is  such  a  com- 
mentary on  the  word  "lesson."  Growth 
is  the  object  of  all  teaching;  the  growth  of 
the  child  in  consciousness  to  the  end  that 

85 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 


he  shall  really  be  awake  in  a  musical  sense — 
if  it  be  music  that  he  is  studying.  Our 
education  has  shown  itself  such  a  failure 
in  that  it  has  caused  children  to  be  lacking 
in  health,  peace  of  mind,  initiative,  self- 
reliance,  and  a  desire  to  be  of  service,  and 
needs  really  to  be  reversed  from  one  of  a 
more  or  less  mechanical  process  to  some- 
thing vital  and  real.  The  little  boy  who 
cannot  add  a  few  figures,  though  he  has 
''finished  arithmetic,"  and  who  says  that 
what  he  learned  in  arithmetic  is  the  word 
''gazinta"  (goes  into) ;  the  mother  who  has 
had  years  of  music  lessons  and  who  cannot 
play  a  simple  tune  with  its  bass,  and  all  the 
rest,  are  some  of  its  amusing  results.  You 
can  no  more  see  the  result  of  music  lessons 
in  a  given  time  than  you  can  see  a  fiower 
when  the  seed  has  barely  sprouted.  No  one 
wants  to  pull  up  the  seed  and  see  a  result, 
but  we  think  we  must  get  results  that  are 
concrete  in  the  children.  Children's  classes 
look  very  like  play,  but  in  order  to  conduct 
them  a  teacher  must  be  a  rare  person.  She 
is  the  awakener  of  the  spirit  of  music  in  the 
children.     From  this  awakening  springs  a 

86 


Music  for  Children 

definite  consciousness  of  melody,  rhythm, 
and  harmony,  which,  being  set  up  in  the 
child,  finally  produces  results,  sometimes 
quite  startling  in  artistic  power  and  beauty, 
and  always  produces  a  love  and  a  far  better 
understanding  of  music  than  that  of  the 
average  grown-up. 

Singing  games,  with  their  elements  of 
gayety,  dramatic  action,  and  social  contact, 
make  a  really  ideal  way  of  beginning  a 
children's  class.  Miss  Hofer's  book.  Sing- 
ing Games  for  Children,  and  the  English 
singing  games — in  fact,  those  of  all  coun- 
tries— should  be  used  with  little  children. 
We  like  the  ^^  Muffin  Man,'*  ^' Looby  Loo," 
"The  Farmer  in  the  Dell,'*  and  ''Annie 
Goes  to  the  Cabbage  Patch,"  for  the  first 
ones,  but  the  field  is  immense,  and  each 
mother  or  teacher  can  best  select  her  own 
material. 

Then  songs  for  children  to  sing!  What  a 
field  there  is  to  be  explored!  In  America 
the  average  child's  repertoire  of  songs  is  a 
shocking  thing.  It  is  incredible  that,  know- 
ing as  we  do  the  effect  of  environment  upon 
children,  we  allow  them  to  store  their  minds 

87 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

with  the  worst  imaginable  trash.  To  be 
sure  we  have  no  folk  music  here  in  this 
country,  but  we  have  some  really  beautiful 
songs  written  for  children — such  as  the 
songs  of  childhood — of  Jessie  Gaynor.  Then 
there  is  the  folk  literature  of  England, 
and  France  is  a  perfect  gold  mine,  to  say 
nothing  of  all  the  other  countries.  We  use 
these  songs,  and  in  the  class  the  children 
swing  the  rhythm,  find  the  pitch,  duration, 
pattern,  and  keynote  of  every  song  they 
sing.  Transposing  is  easy  when  it  is  done 
from  the  listening  sense.  Nothing  is  ever 
done  as  ^'ear  training,*'  it  is  all  strictly 
from  the  musical  sense  —  that  is,  the 
creative  side,  sticking  to  the  principles 
of  melody,  rhythm,  and  harmony  as  our 
basis. 

Musical  conversation,  in  which  the  teach- 
er sings  a  question  and  the  child  answers  it, 
always  in  the  rhythm,  is  one  of  the  ways  of 
feeling  and  hearing  the  keynote.  Singing 
a  scale  down  to  the  second,  pausing  and 
letting  the  child  complete  it,  is  another  good 
way;  or  singing  a  folk  song  and  letting  the 
child  end  it ;  or  making  up  a  tune  and  seeing 

88 


Music  for  Children 

if  It  really  ends  or  needs  an  ending,  always 
patising  to  listen  and  remembering  that 
actual  performance  comes  last. 

All  these  exercises  can  be  done  with 
the  phonograph.  For  the  swinging  of 
rhythms  there  is  nothing  so  good;  the 
same  is  true  in  connection  w^ith  stepping 
rhythms,  skipping,  and  dancing.  The  pho- 
nograph offers  a  great  variety  of  music  of 
the  very  best  type  and  is  very  practical 
where  the  mother  has  no  time  to  devote  to 
the  learning  of  the  necessary  music,  for  as 
a  teacher  she  has  to  know  a  great  deal 
of  rhythmic  music,  folk  dances,  and  other 
good  music,  such  as  Bach,  Beethoven,  and 
Grieg,  which  she  can  play  while  the  children 
do  anything  they  like.  This  helps  them  to 
listen,  to  adjust  their  bodies  to  the  rhythm, 
and,  besides  its  musical  value,  has  a  real 
value  in  regard  to  health  and  nerves.  But 
in  this  connection  there  is  one  thing  that 
must  be  avoided  by  the  teacher:  never 
notice  the  fact  that  the  child  is  out  of 
rhythm.  If  you  will  emphasize  the  rhythm 
of  your  playing,  or  swing  your  own  body 
in   rhythm  and   give   him   time   together 

89 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

with  simple  music,  he  will  get   into   the 
swing. 

We  remember  a  child,  who  was  in  a  class 
with  six  little  children,  who  seemed  hope- 
lessly unrhythmic.  His  mother  was  quite 
concerned,  and  repeatedly  complained  to 
the  teacher  that  he  seemed  never  to  step 
or  dance  "in  time"  as  the  other  children 
did.  The  teacher,  knowing  better  than  the 
mother,  and  not  having  the  natural  im- 
patience and  vanity  common  to  most 
mothers,  urged  her  to  wait  until  the  sense 
of  rhythm  in  him  was  really  awakened. 
(We  believe,  you  see,  that  one  must  be 
ready  in  order  to  really  learn  anything.) 
Well,  one  fine  day,  when  no  one  was  bother- 
ing over  Teddy*s  rhythmic  vagaries,  he  be- 
gan to  dance  in  perfect  swing,  and  hav- 
ing felt  the  delight  of  it  he  kept  on  long 
after  the  other  children  had  had  enough. 
The  teacher,  seeing  what  had  happened, 
played  on  and  on,  until  his  little  fat  legs 
nearly  dropped  off,  but  the  ecstasy  and 
satisfaction  of  having  found  it  in  him- 
self  made    Teddy   more    than   willing    to 

suffer  and  work.     This  is  the  great  point. 

90 


Music  for  Children 

There  is  no  discipline  like  unto  self- 
discipline. 

We  use  a  blackboard  continiially.  The 
children  make  pitch  pictures,  duration 
pictures,  and  anything  else  that  helps  them 
to  let  out  the  music  they  hear  within 
themselves. 

And  here  we  must  consider  the  element 
of  notation.  When  we  teach  children  to 
read  their  notes  we  do  not  teach  them  the 
bass  and  treble  as  two  different  things, 
neither  do  we  separate  them  from  melody. 
Rather  do  we  seek,  by  training  the  inner 
sense  of  sight,  to  have  the  child  visualize 
middle  C  in  a  melody  like  ''Baby  Bye" 
(Jessie  Gaynor's  ''Miniatiire  Melodies"), 
and  to  associate  its  pictiu-e,  which  looks  like 
this, 


I 


with  its  soimd. 

We  prove  to  them  that  they  can  see  with 
their  eyes  closed — that  is,  see  with  their 

7  91 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

inner  eyes,  and  hear  with  their  inner  ears. 
Children  have  this  power  of  visiiahzation 
(seeing  with  the  inner  eyes)  strongly  de- 
veloped. They  are  able  to  visualize  a  note, 
for  instance,  that  they  have  seen  with  their 
open  eyes.  Having  awakened  this  con- 
sciousness, we  draw  two  staffs  on  the  board, 
the  bass  and  the  treble,  placing  middle  C 
where  it  belongs — that  is,  on  the  first  ledger 
line  below  the  treble  staff.  We  then  have 
the  children  look  at  it,  then  close  their  eyes 
and  see  it.  Then  we  erase  its  picture  and 
let  them  draw  it.  After  that  they  can  go 
to  the  piano  and  pick  it  out.  When  this 
note  is  well  fixed  in  their  consciousness  we 
take  up  in  a  like  manner  the  notes  above 
and  below  C  in  the  treble  and  bass. 

Children  are  full  of  creative  ability,  and 
little  children  find  it  easy  to  make  their 
own  tunes.  Here  are  two,  words  and  music, 
given  by  children  of  six: 


(a)      May        is       com  -  ing —      tra        la         la 


:S=^=3: 


* 


^ 


(b)     Ding  I  dong  I  ding  I  dong  I     goes     the       bell. 

92 


Music  for  Children 

When  they  can  make  accurate  pitch  and 
duration  pictures,  and  can  read  their  notes, 
it  is  then  well  to  have  them  write  their  own 
times  in  their  own  blank  books,  so  that  they 
may  grow  accustomed  to  writing  music  as 
well  as  playing  it. 

A  class  of  children  soon  becomes  quite 
free  musically  through  these  various  simple 
drills,  which  a  teacher  must  know  how  to 
vary  to  make  them  interesting. 

The  last  principle  to  awaken  is  the  har- 
monic, and  we  have  been  surprised  to  find 
that  little  children  **hear  under" — that  is, 
hear  the  underlying  harmonies  of  a  time, 
quite  naturally.  Sometimes  it  is  enough 
for  the  teacher  to  begin  to  sing  the  roots  of 
the  chords  underlying  a  song  which  the 
children  are  singing.  Their  harmonic  sense 
will  wake  and  they  will  take  it  up  naturally. 
Suppose,  for  instance,  that  the  children 
are  singing,  "I  Had  a  Little  Nut  Tree.'' 


-JA^^-f^  -X— K-n^r-f^J- 

— »— 1 

^ — 

'  f       1*       I*       r       m  '        '    m     ' 

» f* Us z 1 

-m^  *      ^ — ^ — J? — ,'_ 

— J- 

-rJ— *— iJ^-^^ 

93 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

The    simplest    harmonic    setting   to   this 
tune  is 

I— I— IV— I— V— I— V— I 
The  teacher  should  sing  the  root  or  prin- 
cipal note  of  each  chord  as 


Children. 
Teacher. 


S=:=p5=:=s: 


:=3r 


3tz:i- 


:5l=it 


^«^ 


"£2I 


— t- 


'-^- 


&?±=«: 


npc 


■^ 


m 


'-?^- 


Af ter  a  little  she  can  try  playing  the  time 
either  on  the  piano  or  the  phonograph,  or 
she  may  sing  it  and  ask  the  children  to  sing 
what  they  hear  imder  it.  Having  caught 
their  interest,  it  is  then  wisest  to  set  about 
hearing  the  root  of  the  I  chord,  or  the  tonic 
as  the  musicians  call  it.  To  do  this  play 
several  chords,  and  get  the  children  to  pick 
out  the  I  chord  by  noting  its  quality  of  rest, 
and  not  by  telling  them  the  name  of  the 

94 


Music  for  Children 

chord.  When  the  I  chord  is  made  so 
familiar  they  can  hear  it  imder  any  simple 
time  you  can  take  up  the  V  chord.  Have 
them  note  its  quality  of  motion  as  dif- 
ferentiated from  the  I  chord,  and  how  it 
always  moves  toward  the  I  chord.  Do  the 
same  with  the  IV  chord.  By  degrees  you 
can  give  times  that  bring  out  a  V,  and 
later  still  a  IV.  There  is  absolutely  no 
hurry  in  this  work.  The  idea  is  musical 
consciousness;  development,  not  perform- 
ance. More  is  accomplished  in  the  end, 
not  only  musically,  but  in  health  and  char- 
acter, by  going  slowly  and  insisting  upon  a 
process,  which  is  always  the  same — that  is, 
silence,  listening,  etc.  When  performance 
is  a  natural  thing,  and  sometimes  this  is  the 
case  even  with  young  children,  we  do  not 
try  to  stop  them,  but  we  never  try  to  speed 
up  the  playing,  and  never  urge  them  to 
learn  ''a  piece.**  The  natural  outcome  of 
hearing,  swinging,  singing,  etc.,  is  not  only 
playing,  but  composing,  and  a  rounded 
musical  and  mental  development. 

Older  children  who  have  been  trained  in 
this  way  play  little  basses  to  folk  tunes 

95 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

quite  easily.  Two  children  can  go  to  the 
keyboard,  one  playing  the  melody  and  one 
the  bass.  They  play  it  in  C  and  they  play 
it  in  G,  or  in  any  easy  key,  for,  since  it  is 
a  matter  of  hearing,  all  keys  are  equally 
simple. 

This  lays  a  foundation  that  has  literally 
no  end.  Upon  it  one  can  either  become  a 
good  listener  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word 
or  an  artist. 

Memorizing  becomes  an  actual  science, 
since  to  hear  makes  one  sure  of  what  to 
play  and  one  loses  the  misery  of  uncer- 
tainty so  well  known  to  pianists.  Analysis, 
through  hearing,  changes  all  of  that. 

The  question  of  material  is  a  very  im- 
portant one.  In  the  children's  classes  every 
teacher  adapts  her  material  to  the  needs  of 
her  children. 

Speaking  in  a  general  way,  folk  music, 
the  Gaynor  ''Miniature  Melodies,"  ''The 
Cady  Folk  Tunes  for  Ten  Fingers,"  and 
similar  music  is  used.  A  teacher  must  be 
really  familiar  with  her  material.  She  must 
know  whether  a  song  is  suitable  for  a  child, 
whether  its  harmonization  includes  a  IV 

96 


Music  for  Children 

chord  or  not,  etc.  The  better  acquainted 
she  is  with  her  material  (she  should  really 
know  it  by  heart)  the  better  her  teaching 
will  be.  Teaching  **with  a  book"  is  never 
a  success.  In  fact,  freedom  and  creative- 
ness  are  the  key  to  the  teaching  of  children's 
classes,  coupled  with  real  musicianship. 


VII 

PRACTICING 

The  reaction  from  personal  effort  is  a  feeling  of  joy  and 
freedom. 

WHEN  I  was  little  I  used  to  shake 
the  hourglass  to  make  the  practice 
time  shorter.**  Haven*t  we  all  done  much 
the  same  thing. 

''You  and  I  could  be  very  good  friends, 
mother,  if  it  were  not  for  this  horrid  music,'* 
wails  a  little  boy  to  his  adoring  parent. 
"Mother  says,  'Now  go  and  practice,* 
whenever  she  sees  me,  and  so  I  try  not  to 
go  near  her,**  remarks  another  child.  "I 
was  just  going  to  practice  because  I  really 
wanted  to,  when  the  maid  said,  'Your 
mother  told  me,  miss,  to  remind  you  to 
practice,*  and  then  I  made  up  my  mind  I 
wouldn*t.**     This  is  the  reaction  to  be  got 

98 


Practicing 

from  nagging  a  child  or  forcing  a  child  to 
practice. 

A  doctor  once  ordered  malted  milk,  and 
nothing  but  malted  milk,  for  a  child  who 
had  a  severe  case  of  whooping  cough.  It 
was  a  perfectly  sensible  order,  and  would 
have  been  the  very  best  thing  if  the  child 
had  been  the  kind  of  child  that  liked  malted 
milk  and  would  take  it.  But  in  this  case 
the  baby  refused,  calling  loudly  for  pan- 
cakes. Everyone  knows  that  pancakes  are 
not  the  proper  food  for  a  sick  child  of  three. 
However,  starvation  seemed  the  alterna- 
tive, and  finally  in  the  middle  of  the  night, 
having  carefully  studied  the  directions  of 
Aunt  Jemima's  pancake  flour,  the  cakes 
were  made  and  fed  to  her,  and  on  them  she 
throve.  This  is  not  a  plea  for  feeding 
children  on  pancakes.  It  is  merely  to  show 
that  you  can  prescribe  certain  things  to 
children,  and  that  is  one  thing,  but  you 
cannot  make  them  assimilate  these  things 
unless  they  want  to.  The  psychology  of  it 
then  is  to  be  able  to  get  children  to  want  the 
right  thing,  and  to  do  what  is  right  for 
them  through  creating  a  real  desire.     *'De- 

99 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

sire  is  the  soul  of  will/*  We  must  learn  a 
way  of  getting  the  intense  interest  of  chil- 
dren, and  then  they  will  practice  without 
being  reminded. 

In  the  cases  where  we  have  tried  this  it 
has  worked  out  in  every  instance,  and  every 
mother  knows  that  all  the  preaching  and 
forcing  in  the  world  is  without  avail  if  a 
child  has  no  interest  in  what  is  to  be  done. 
''Sometimes  I  think  with  my  eyes,  and 
sometimes  I  think  with  my  brains,**  said 
a  fourteen-year-old  girl.  This  is  just  the 
point;  a  child  can  actually  sit  on  the 
piano  stool  and  spend  the  allotted  period 
playing  the  notes  and  all  the  time  be 
thinking  of  skating,  dolls,  food,  etc. 

Older  students  do  the  same  thing.  It  is 
the  same  old  story  of  the  letter  and  not  the 
spirit.  The  result  is  worse  than  nothing, 
because  the  love  of  music  is  either  killed 
entirely  or  the  desire  to  learn  music  is 
given  such  a  blow  that  it  takes  an  unusual 
stimulus  to  start  it  up  again. 

It  is  interesting  to  interrogate  people  on 
this  score  and  find  out  how  many  of  them 
have  had  the  same  experience  and  how  they 

lOO 


Practicing 

regret  it.  It  is  almost  always  through  an 
unwillingness  to  practice  because  of  some 
one's  nagging.  •  •  \\]  ;  \: 

^^Then  you  do  not  believe- in  practice/' 
you  say.  You  are  wrong.  We  ".i^ '  believe 
in  practice,  and  in  more  concentrated  prac- 
tice than  the  average  child  has  ever  dreamed 
of.  Furthermore,  we  get  it,  but  not  by 
nagging.  Let  us  explain.  When  children 
are  taught  in  this  newer  way  they  are  not 
expected  to  arrive  at  a  certain  given  point 
in  a  given  time.  The  teacher  studies  her 
pupils,  adapts  the  work  to  them  with  one 
idea  in  mind :  that  they  shall  become  musi- 
cally conscious.  But  in  working  toward  this 
ideal  she  takes  into  consideration  the  kind 
of  child,  its  temperament,  ability,  and  state 
of  health.  In  adapting  the  work  she  may 
get  a  sluggish  child  into  such  a  state  of  in- 
terest that  he  will  surprise  everyone  by  his 
devotion  to  pra'cticing.  A  nervous  child, 
one  that  works  under  a  certain  tension,  and 
is  overconscientious,  has  naturally  to  be  dif- 
ferently treated.  The  music  lesson  is  sec- 
ondary to  the  child;  the  child  comes  first. 
When  children  are  inwardly  aroused — that 

lOI 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

is,  when  music  is  awakened  in  them,  they 
become  so  interested  that  no  one  has  to 
urge  pr^LCt icing.  They  spend  hours  picking 
out  tunes  and  finding  basses  for  them. 
Sometimes  •  mothers  call  up  at  bedtime, 
begging  to  know  what  chord  belongs  in 
such  and  such  a  place,  "under**  such  and 
such  a  tune,  because  Sally  will  not  go  to 
sleep  until  she  finds  it. 

Hundreds  of  teachers  and  mothers  will 
tell  you  the  same  story.  And  it  is  a  per- 
fectly natural  thing  when  we  remember 
that  the  one  thing  that  we  are  all  looking 
for  is  the  Truth — and  these  simple  funda- 
mentals are  the  truth  of  music.  Besides 
this,  they  give  instant  pleasure  in  making  it 
possible  for  a  child  to  do  something  himself, 
something  that  he  likes  and  understands. 
To  be  able  to  pick  out  a  tune  easily  is  in 
itself  a  pleasure,  and  many  a  grown-up  man 
has  remarked  how  much  he  would  give  if  he 
had  been  taught  that.  One  of  these  men  re- 
cently said  that  he  had  been  discouraged  by 
having  to  do  interminable  finger  exercises, 
and  made  to  choose  between  baseball  and 
music,  so  he  gave  up  music  for  good. 

I02 


/ 


Practicing 

The  idea  of  giving  the  technical  side  of 
anything  before  having  awakened  a  love 
and  a  desire  for  it  seems  to  us  to  defeat  the 
end  at  the  beginning.  To  commence  with 
finger  exercises  invariably  means  to  kill  the 
interest.  Every  child  likes  to  pick  out  a 
tune,  but  hardly  any  child  likes  to  play 
finger  exercises.  Through  picking  out  a 
tune,  the  keynote,  scale,  and  rhythm  are 
naturally  learned;  so  through  the  desired 
thing  the  technical  part  of  the  subject  is 
easily  learned. 

And  here  let  us  say  a  word  about  another 
subject  in  regard  to  practicing:  counting. 
In  the  first  place,  the  object  of  counting  is 
really  a  rhythmic  one — that  is,  a  rhythmic 
swing  underlies  time,  and  time  is  the  me- 
chanical side  of  rhythm.  A  child  might 
count  all  the  way  through  a  piece  and  still 
be  out  of  rhythm,  therefore  the  end  desired 
is  not  obtained.  It  is  again  the  letter 
versus  the  spirit  of  the  law.  Neither  does 
jerky  counting  help  rhythm,  rather  does  it 
hinder  it.  Breithaupt  says:  *' We  urgently 
recommend  that  the  pupil  be  taught  to  de- 
sist from  pedantically  counting  bar  by  bar; 

103 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

he  has  too  much  else  to  do.''  To  read  the 
music,  play  with  arms,  hands,  and  fingers, 
and  to  count  into  the  bargain  are  three 
actions  which  the  child  cannot  possibly 
accomplish  simultaneously.  It  is  hard  to 
get  teachers  to  acknowledge  this,  but  the 
proof  of  the  pudding  is  the  tasting. 

It  is  a  fallacy  to  think  that  spending  a 
certain  amount  of  time  at  the  piano  playing 
over  chords,  scales,  and  pieces  is  practicing. 
Mental  vacuity  is  often  the  state  accom- 
panying these  performances,  so  is  it  not 
better  for  a  child  to  spend  a  few  minutes  in 
which  his  whole  attention  is  taken  up  find- 
ing the  melody  that  he  wants,  and  perhaps 
finding  its  bass  as  well?  When  he  begins 
to  hear  tunes  of  his  own  inwardly,  and  to 
pick  them  out  on  the  piano,  he  is  forever 
concentrated  in  his  practice.  Under  these 
circumstances  the  chances  are  that  he  will 
devote  more  than  the  time  allotted. 

In  one  school  they  were  obliged  to  lock 
the  pianos  to  keep  the  children  from  prac- 
ticing too  much.  We  are  always  amused 
when  people  beg  us  to  insist  upon  a  given 
amount  of  practicing.     Our  advice  is  always 

104 


Practicing 

to  leave  them  alone,  and  in  a  short  time  you 
will  be  begging  them  to  stop. 

'*  My  family  objects  to  my  playing  hymns 
at  midnight,"  laughs  a  mother  who  has 
taken  up  her  music  again.  She  enjoys 
knowing  just  what  she  is  playing  so  much 
that  she  cannot  leave  off  even  at  bedtime. 

Children  who  have  learned  to  hear  in- 
wardly eventually  do  a  great  deal  of  prac- 
ticing away  from  the  piano.  That  is,  they 
learn  to  hear  music  from  looking  at  it,  just 
as  one  would  read  a  poem.  A  little  girl 
who  had  been  taught  in  this  v/ay  went  to 
another  city,  and  began  to  study  music 
with  a  new  teacher.  A  new  folk  song  was 
put  up  before  her,  and  the  teacher  said, 
"You  may  take  this  one.'* 

The  child  sat  quietly  looking  at  the 
music.  ''Why  don't  you  play  it,  dear?" 
asked  the  teacher.  ''Because  I  am  looking 
it  over."  This  child  was  reading  the 
melody  (mentally),  getting  the  keynote, 
determining  whether  the  folk  song  was 
written  in  a  major  or  minor  key,  deciding 
about  the  phrasing,  fingering,  rhythm,  and 
harmony  before  playing.     It  is  a  definite 

105 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

inward  process,  and  leads  to  the  kind  of 
musicianship  that  makes  music  a  factor  in 
life  whether  one  has  an  instrument  or  not, 
and  whether  one  can  attend  a  concert  or 
not.  When  listening  has  become  a  per- 
fectly definite  process,  when  the  melodic 
and  harmonic  law  have  become  a  part  of 
you,  just  as  walking  has  become  automatic 
after  one's  first  baby  efforts,  then  comes  a 
certain  power.  You  are  able  to  play  easily 
in  any  key;  you  can  harmonize  and  mem- 
orize away  from  the  piano  without  effort. 
Our  aim  is  to  achieve  this  kind  of  musician- 
ship, and  this  cannot  be  accomplished 
through  a  forced  practicing  of  a  certain 
number  of  hours  daily. 

You  cannot  force  children  to  learn  any- 
thing, but  you  can  so  present  a  thing  to 
them  that  you  will  arouse  their  interest  and 
cause  them  to  undertake  the  subject  of 
their  own  free  will.  At  first  they  may  seem 
uninterested,  but  give  them  a  chance  to  act 
on  their  own  impulse,  have  faith  in  the 
child  and  his  unerring  feeling  for  beauty 
and  truth,  and  this  will  pass. 

So,  having  aroused  the  child's  interest  in 

io6 


Practicing 

music,  leave  him  alone.  Do  not  nag  him  to 
play,  do  not  nag  him  to  practice,  and,  above 
all,  never  show  him  off.  Let  him  volimteer 
to  play  or  sing,  but  never  ask  him  to  per- 
form in  order  to  impress  the  mother  of  some 
other  child.  Let  music  be  a  natural,  spon- 
taneous thing  in  the  home,  and  the  love  of 
it  will  grow  and  prosper. 

For  the  more  advanced  student  the  same 
general  advice  also  holds  good;  but  to 
make  it  more  exact,  and  to  give  him  a 
definite  routine,  we  will  give  an  outline  of 
how  to  practice  a  given  composition.  Let 
us  take,  for  example,  the  Bach  B  minor 
''Gavotte,"  arranged  by  Saint-Saens,  plan- 
ning to  study  it  with  close  attention. 

Play  the  ''Gavotte"  through  to  get  a 
general  idea  of  it.  If  you  are  uncertain 
about  what  sort  of  dance  the  gavotte  is, 
look  it  up.  If  you  have  not  read  a  life  of 
Bach,  get  one  (Parry's  is  a  very  good  one) 
and  read  it.  Make  sure  that  you  are  to  be 
quiet  and  undisturbed  when  you  practice, 
and  provide  yourself  with  a  small  blank 
book  and  a  pencil.  Play  the  first  phrase 
of  the  "Gavotte,"  stop  and  name  your  key 

8  107 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

(B  minor),  then  play  the  B -minor  scale  and 
the  three  elementary  chords  of  that  key, 
I,  IV,  VI.  In  this  way  the  key  becomes 
subconsciously  settled  and  this  makes  con- 
centration much  easier.  Each  phrase  must 
be  analyzed  in  a  broad  way,  giving  the 
fundamental  sound,  and  making  a  rough 
sketch  of  the  harmonies.  Sing  the  melo- 
dies, then  sing  the  root  tone  of  the  bass,  and 
play  the  melody. 

Rhythm  and  time  being  two  distinct 
things,  the  student  must  decide  upon  the 
rhythmic  swing  of  the  music,  and  whether 
the  accent  falls  on  the  B  or  the  F  in  the 
theme,  as: 


■1, 


^^. 


\ 


f 


.\t-- 


S: 


T 


r 


Evidently  the  B  is  the  accented  note.  Then 
practice  at  once  pulling  off  the  chord,  with 
B  sounding  above  the  rest.  The  guide  is 
always,  of  course,  the  ear.     Concentrate  on 

io8 


Practicing 

what  you  want  to  hear  and  then  play  a 
phrase  slowly  and  decide  whether  you  have 
been  able  to  objectify  what  you  have  heard. 
The  more  you  listen  the  better  you  will  play. 

In  studying  make  a  note  of  whether  you 
did  or  did  not  concentrate,  making  a  cross 
to  stand  for  concentration  and  an  ^'o*'  for 
wandering.  Children  respond  very  quickly 
to  this  way  of  recording  concentration  and 
learn  to  hold  their  minds  to  one  thing,  not 
only  in  music,  but  in  other  things.  If  you 
can  command  your  thought^  you  can  command 
your  life. 

Then  in  your  blank  book  put  the  word 
''accuracy"  on  another  page,  and  after 
you  have  thoroughly  analyzed  its  meaning, 
concentrate  on  playing  every  note  exactly 
as  it  is  written,  recording  your  progress. 

The  old  way  of  endlessly  repeating  a  pas- 
sage has  been  a  failure,  because,  while  the 
fingers  were  playing  the  notes  more  or  less 
accurately,  the  mind  was  wandering.  If, 
as  scientists  tell  us,  we  made  phonographic 
records  in  our  minds  of  our  thoughts,  how 
much  more  vividly  we  might  impress  our 
minds  and  retain  the  desired  image  if  we 

109 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

wotild  take  pains  to  be  accurate  and  to 
think  of  nothing  else  while  we  did  it. 

We  should  not  have  to  practice  all  day, 
and  besides  that  we  should  be  gaining  in 
mental  power  and  endurance  with  every 
hour  of  accurate  concentrated  work. 

Next,  the  pedal  must  be  carefully  thought 
of.  The  clarity  of  the  music  must  not  be 
disturbed,  and  here  listening  is  again  the 
path  to  success. 

It  is  better  for  the  student  to  find  his 
own  pedaling  and  fingering;  the  marks 
given  being  only  suggestive.  Having  gone 
through  the  composition,  analyzing  it,  play- 
ing it  accurately,  marked  fingering  and 
pedaling  according  to  your  own  sense  of 
harmony  and  beauty,  you  may  begin  to 
think  of  how  to  express  the  message.  Is 
this  music  gay  or  sad,  and  what  does  it  say? 

Some  one  has  spoken  of  it  as  "the  tallest 
thing  ever  written."  It  has  a  quality  of 
freedom  and  bigness  which  everyone  must 
feel,  but  is  not  half  the  charm  of  hearing 
different  people  play  the  charm  of  hearing 
what  the  composition  means  to  them?  It 
was  Mendelssohn,  was  it  not,  who  said,  in 

no 


Practicing 

objecting  to  program  music:  "How  can  I 
know  what  it  must  mean  to  you?  A  com- 
position may  mean  a  rose  to  you,  and  to 
me  a  cabbage.*' 

The  main  thing  is  for  the  performer  to  feel 
something.  The  reason  so  much  playing  is 
uninteresting  is  that  the  player  is  not  con- 
scious of  any  emotion  or  feeling.  Just  try 
playing  a  simple  little  thing  to  some  one 
and  of  deliberately  sending  out  a  thought, 
or  of  sending  up  a  prayer,  and  you  will  have 
satisfied  your  audience.  This  is  the  great 
mental  drill  for  each  one  of  us.  We  have 
asked  advanced  pupils  to  tell  us  frankly 
what  they  thought  of  while  they  practiced 
or  played,  and  the  answers  have  varied 
from  "purple  hats,"  "ride  on  a  bus,"  to 
"love  of  friends "  and  "beautiful  simsets." 

There  is  a  mystic  communion  in  music 
played  by  the  whole  self  which  satisfies  and 
helps,  but  this  kind  of  music  is  rarely  heard. 
Why?  Because  people  allow  their  minds  to 
wander,  instead  of  entering  into  the  in- 
spiration of  the  composer  and  touching  a 
higher,  finer  part  of  themselves  and  their 
listeners. 

Ill 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

Plato  says,  ''A  false  note  drives  away 
God."  This  is  another  plea  for  accuracy; 
we  must  be  true  in  order  to  deliver  the 
higher  message.  To  play  with  "expres- 
sion" means  that  you  are  absorbed  in  the 
beauty  and  exaltation  of  the  music,  that 
you  have  forgotten  yourself,  your  little 
personal  self,  or  "bloated  nothingness,"  as 
Emerson  calls  it,  and  have  entered  into  a 
higher  realization  of  beauty  and  power. 

There  are  phrases  in  this  "Gavotte"  that 
need  special  study,  for  instance,  the  octaves 
in  the  tenth  measure.*  Do  you  want  them 
legato?  If  so,  finger  them  with  the  fourth 
finger  on  F  sharp,  practicing  slowly,  listen- 
ing intently  for  the  nuance  you  want. 
Each  time  record  the  result,  and  if  you 
once  are  able  to  play  the  passage  legato, 
repeat  it  three  times,  listening,  concentrat- 
ing intently  as  you  do  so.  Measures  i8, 
19,  20,  and  30  will  need  the  same  kind  of 
practice.  The  entire  composition  ought 
to  be  gone  over  carefully  for  fingering,  the 
object  being  to  express  the  musical  idea 


*  The  Saint-Saens's  transcription  in  B  minor. 

112 


Practicing 

according  to  your  ideal.  If  you  want  the 
passage  in  the  fifty-sixth  measure  to  go 
smoothly,  try  different  fingerings  until  you 
discover  the  one  that  suits  your  hand.  All 
hands  are  not  alike  and  there  can  be  no 
ironclad  rule.     Your  ear  is  your  only  guide. 

The  next  difficulty  is  in  measure  48. 
Here  we  have  the  use  of  the  third  pedal. 
Begin  by  playing  the  bass  alone  from  43, 
and  hold  the  F  sharp  in  48  with  the  middle 
pedal,  releasing  it  at  52.  Practice  very 
thoughtfully  and  slowly  imtil  you  have  been 
able  to  do  this  several  times.  Then  play 
the  treble,  finding  the  fingering  and  practice 
thoughtfully.  Stop  and  play  the  end  of 
48  and  49,  50,  51,  and  52,  singing  the  alto 
voice,  then  play  the  alto  and  sing  the 
soprano;  in  other  words,  study  these 
measures  imtil  you  thoroughly  imderstand 
them. 

Some  one  once  asked  MacDowell  how  long 
one  must  practice  a  certain  composition. 
He  answered,  ''Until  you  understand  it." 
The  fallacy  is,  that  we  think  we  imderstand 
before  we  really  do.  If  a  great  composer 
spends  hours  and  hours  on  a  single  phrase, 

113 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

we  must  be  willing  to  spend  time  and 
thought  and  not  to  want  to  cover  too  much 
ground  in  a  short  time.  To  read  through 
a  great  deal  of  musical  literature  is  excel- 
lent, but  when  we  set  out  to  study  a  com- 
position there  must  be  no  haste  if  there  is 
to  be  accuracy  and  beauty. 

In  memorizing,  make  a  schedtJe  and  see 
and  hear  mentally  each  phrase.  This  is 
slow  work,  but  sure.  The  bass  seems  to  be 
the  main  stumbling  block  in  memorizing, 
therefore  the  student  should  play  the  treble 
and  sing  the  bass  of  each  phrase  if  he  wants 
to  be  really  sure.  Perhaps  the  reason  why 
so  many  people  play  better  when  they  are 
alone  is  that  they  are  really  not  sure  enough 
of  the  notes  of  a  composition  to  be  able  to 
concentrate  on  the  message  to  be  ex- 
pressed when  others  are  about.  Music  is 
the  language  of  the  spirit.  When  through 
concentration  in  practicing  we  are  free 
from  the  thought  of  notes,  fingering,  pedals, 
etc.,  we  can  truly  express  our  inner  spiritual 
selves  and  thus  give  the  message  to  those 
who  are  listening. 


VIII 

TECHNIQUE 

"Education  should  increase  faith  to  such  an  extent  that 
fear  would  be  impossible." 

OF  the  thousands  who  have  taken  music 
lessons  for  a  year  or  more  and  then 
stopped  in  disgust  90  per  cent  will  tell  you 
that  finger  exercises  and  scales  made  them 
hate  music.  The  yotmg  girl  who  begins 
lessons  with  enthusiasm  is  soon  disillusioned 
by  the  eternal  and  iminteresting  grind  of 
I,  2,  3,  4,  and  children  get  to  regard  music 
lessons  as  a  form  of  pimishment,  invented 
for  their  special  benefit.  ''What  have  you 
studied?  "  asks  a  new  teacher.  ''  Oh,  scales, 
and  there  seems  to  be  no  end  of  them,'* 
answers  the  tearful  child.  We  have  un- 
doubtedly put  the  cart  before  the  horse, 
defeating  the  very  ideal  we  hoped  to  es- 

115 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

tablish.  Now  that  everybody  is  agreed 
upon  the  fact  that  the  object  of  the  study  of 
music  is  realization,  or  consciousness,  there 
is  a  general  rush  toward  a  different  and  more 
real  kind  of  music  study.  People  are  find- 
ing out  that  working  for  effect  will  always 
end  in  catastrophe.  Bluffing  lasts  only  for 
a  while;  the  day  of  settlement  is  bound  to 
come.  Children  are  not  to  blame  that  they 
have  found  music  lessons  dtill.  Family 
life  has  lost  out  enormously  in  that  young 
girls  gave  up  music  before  they  married 
and  had  children  of  their  own. 

But  why  have  we  put  technique  in  such  a 
wrong  relation  to  the  study  of  music? 
If  we  could  wipe  away  all  impressions  as  to 
what  has  been  the  way  of  teaching  music, 
and  start  without  prejudice,  we  might  come 
to  the  following  conclusions:  First,  that 
music  must  be  felt  and  heard  before  a  note 
is  played;  that  music,  being  a  language 
of  sound,  must  be  heard  and  understood 
in  terms  of  soimd;  that  no  one  should  try 
to  play  anything  until  he  has  listened, 
heard,  sung,  and  understood  simple  tunes 
followed  by  fimdamental  basses.     Second, 

ii6 


Technique 

that  the  technical  problem  is  not  simply 
that  of  hands  and  arms,  but  takes  in  the 
whole  body,  involving  a  knowledge  of  the 
laws  governing  physiology  and  anatomy; 
that  tone  production  involves  physics  and 
that  it  is  in  its  last  analysis  a  mental 
process,  based  on  the  law  of  freedom  through 
control. 

Take  a  child  beginning  to  study  music 
(and  all  children  shoiild  certainly  be  given 
the  chance):  what  ought  to  be  done  after 
the  first  class  lessons,  which  are  described 
in  another  chapter?  In  the  first  place,  one 
should  look  the  child  over  as  an  individual, 
for  no  two  children  are  alike.  There  are, 
of  course,  types,  such  as  the  phlegmatic, 
vital,  etc.,  which  one  might  classify  roughly 
to  begin  with,  adapting  the  treatment  to  the 
type.  For  instance,  almost  everyone  needs 
to  learn  to  relax;  but  a  very  phlegmatic 
child  needs  just  the  opposite.  There  are 
certain  things  we  ought  to  think  of;  one 
is,  what  will  add  to  the  health  of  this  child, 
NOT  how  are  we  going  to  get  this  child  to 
play  a  piece  in  two  months. 

A  nervous  child  must  go  more  slowly 

117 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

than  a  phlegmatic  one,  and  can  be  greatly 
helped  to  a  more  healthy  condition  by  a 
teacher  who  understands  his  needs.  To  be 
sure,  the  whole  life  of  a  child  is  involved  in 
this  problem,  and  a  music  teacher  cannot 
really  supply  all  that  is  needed.  She  can, 
however,  suggest  a  regime  of  right  exercise 
and  training,  if  it  is  needed,  and  then  give 
the  same  kind  of  thing  in  the  music  lesson — 
that  is,  do  things  that  will  help  toward 
establishing  strength  and  health  of  body. 
It  is  better  to  go  slowly  and  grow  up  into 
strong,  self-reliant  womanhood  or  manhood 
than  to  play  some  difficult  music  at  an  early 
age.  People  have  paid  too  great  a  price 
for  technical  brilliancy.  The  great  artist 
needs  it ;  the  average  person  does  not.  We 
need  just  enough  technique  to  enable  us  to 
play  simple  things  well — that  is,  the  average 
person  does.  The  talented  people  and 
geniuses  are  in  a  class  by  themselves,  and 
we  should  not  try  merely  to  ape  them. 

A  few  exercises  which  help  us  to  relax, 
gain  tone,  beauty,  speed,  and  acctuacy  are 
all  that  are  necessary.     To  relax  is  not  so 

easy.     In  his  immortal  essay  on  this  sub- 

ii8 


\ 


Technique 

ject,  James  says,  *'Now  do  not  say  *I  wUI 
go  right  home  and  relax/  because  you  will 
find  it  less  easy  than  you  supposed.'* 

Annie  Payson  Call  in  Power  Through 
Repose  gives  a  ntimber  of  helpful  sugges- 
tions about  relaxation,  calling  attention  to 
the  way  we  sleep,  ride,  sit,  etc.,  always 
screwed  up  in  bowknots.  Yvette  Gilbert 
spoke  of  the  mouths  of  Americans,  and  how 
tense  their  faces  looked.  We  have  all  had 
experiences  in  our  own  lives  which  prove 
that  relaxation  is  a  help  toward  health  and 
a  happier  life.  Then  there  is  the  opposite 
to  relaxation :  a  certain  tension  and  power, 
which  may  be  learned  in  simple  ways. 
Last  of  all  is  speed,  which  is  so  often  a 
limitation.  Doctor  Wm.  Mason  was  the 
real  pioneer,  for  he  gave  the  basis  of  tech- 
nique in  his  Touch  and  Technique,  now 
Matthay,  Breithaupt,  and,  later,  Schmitz, 
have  evolved  even  a  clearer  psychological 
process.  To  have  the  possibility  of  relaxa- 
tion and  its  opposite,  to  be  able  to  plan 
mentally  the  desired  speed  and  then  get  it 
— this  is  the  ideal  of  modem  technique. 

The  great  amoimt  of  time  spent  on  acquir- 

119 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

ing  strength  seems  stupid,  when,  as  Matthay 
puts  it,  a  newly  bom  baby  is  able  to  hang 
on  a  stick,  holding  up  its  own  weight  with 
its  newborn  fingers!  There  seems  to  be 
plenty  of  strength  in  them.  We  already 
are  strong,  free,  flexible,  and  we  have  light- 
ness, calmness,  and  speed.  It  is  only  that 
we  need  some  definite  means  of  bringing 
out  these  capacities  and  powers.  A  little 
technique  goes  a  long  way.  First  listening, 
then  thinking,  then  singing,  playing,  and 
then  some  technical  exercises  to  make  the 
playing  more  conscious  and  more  beautiful 
— this  is  the  proper  sequence. 

Music  is  in  everyone  to  some  extent ;  but 
we  often  kill  it  in  those  whose  talent  is  not 
such  that  they  will  go  through  endless 
discipline  and  discouragement  in  order  to 
accomplish  the  end  they  have  in  mind. 

Too  much  technique  given  too  early 
either  kills  the  love  and  desire  for  it  or  it 
develops  a  person  to  a  high  standard;  this 
is  only  useful  to  those  who  are  to  be  pro- 
fessional musicians.  With  children  it  is 
often  better  not  to  do  any  technical  work 
at  all  for  several  years.     With  older  people 

I20 


Technique 

a  little  that  will  help  limber  up  stiff  hands 
and  arms,  combined  with  a  definite  mental 
control,  is  the  necessary  thing. 

Technique  is  really  an  attempt  to  ac- 
complish liberation  of  the  body,  and  com- 
bine it  with  expression.  From  the  very 
first  the  Greeks  combined  bodily  move- 
ments with  music,  which  seems  entirely 
reasonable.  The  life  of  rush  and  hurry 
which  we  force  upon  our  little  children 
makes  it  almost  impossible  to  carry  out  this 
idea.  Children  would  have  a  better  start 
if  they  could  meet  every  day  for  musical 
and  physical  drills.  We  have  frequently 
talked  of  putting  this  sort  of  thing  into  the 
school  in  which  we  are  working.  Plato 
describes  such  an  ideal  education,  including 
speaking,  poetry,  rhythm,  melody,  har- 
mony, bodily  culture,  and  control.  Cer- 
tainly this  would  form  a  wonderful  basis 
for  a  useful  and  happy  life. 

We  do  not  want  less  technique  in  any- 
thing, we  want  a  better,  more  practical 
technique,  which  will  give  us  more  power, 
more  health,  energy,  and  peace.  One  of 
the  things  that  will  help  to  bring  about  a 

121 


The  Philosophy  of  Music. 

practical  technique  is  breathing.  From  the 
purely  musical  standpoint  breathing  has  im- 
mense value.  But  we  must  learn  to  breathe. 
Babies  breathe  naturally ;  it  is  only  when  we 
begin  to  "educate"  our  children  that  they 
form  habits  of  sluggish  breathing. 

Every  teacher  should  try  to  study  breath- 
ing herself  in  order  to  be  more  healthy, 
alive,  and  self-controlled  mentally  as  well 
as  physically.  Since  the  war,  when  so 
much  was  found  to  depend  upon  a  knowl- 
edge of  breathing,  there  has  been  a  deeper 
interest  in  this  important  subject.  It  is 
true  that  deep  breathing  affects  the  mind 
and  that  mental  action  affects  the  breath- 
ing. For  instance,  under  the  so-called 
newer  kind  of  healing  treatments  that  are 
now  acknowledged  as  helpful,  even  by 
some  doctors,  the  breathing  deepens. 

"Going  into  the  silence" — that  is,  still- 
ing the  mind,  deepens  the  breathing.  The 
opposite  is  likewise  true — that  is,  deep 
breathing  helps  to  still  the  mind.  Listen- 
ing also  stills  the  mind  and  deepens  the 
breathing;  in  fact,  any  act  of  concentration 
will  do  the  same  thing. 

122 


Technique 

The  effect  of  continuous  deep  breathing 
on  health  and  state  of  mind  is  easily  proved. 
Fear  in  all  forms,  such  as  timidity,  suspicion, 
doubt,  worry,  or  depression,  can  be  allayed 
by  long,  deep  breaths. 

A  noted  opera  singer  who  during  the  war 
did  a  great  deal  to  increase  the  limg  ca- 
pacity of  officers,  and  therefore  to  increase 
the  tone  and  carrying  power  of  their  orders, 
tells  a  story  on  himself  which  shows  the 
effect  of  breathing  on  the  mind.  He  says 
that  up  to  the  time  of  his  deep  study  and 
interest  in  the  science  of  breath  he  always 
recoiled  from  going  into  a  manager^s  office, 
and  that  when  he  did  go  there  he  ac- 
quiesced in  almost  any  proposal,  feeling  so 
timid  and  depressed  that  he  was  imcon- 
scious  of  the  fact  that  he  was  signing  him- 
self away  for  twopence.  Since  breathing 
deeply  and  studying  the  effect  of  deep 
breathing  he  has  learned  to  take  a  deep 
breath  before  entering  the  manager's  office 
and  he  now  finds  himself  dictating  to  the 
manager!  Besides  the  obvious  effect  upon 
mind  and  body,  the  study  of  breathing  can 
be  made  co-ordinate  with  playing.     In  this 

9  123 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

realm  the  singers  have  outstripped  the  in- 
strumentalists and  it  is  high  time  that  we 
avail  ourselves  of  this  power  which  will 
chase  away  the  specters  of  fear  and  for- 
getfulness  and  draw  to  us  beauty  of  tone 
and  phrase.  But  in  going  on  to  tone  we 
must  draw  some  comparisons  with  the  old 
ideas  of  technique.  Simply  to  get  a  loud 
tone  is  not  the  object  of  technique,  al- 
though it  would  often  appear  so.  Some- 
times a  pianist's  playing  has  been  described 
as  sounding  ''like  six  pianos."  But  six 
tin  cans  beaten  lustily  will  make  as  good  a 
soimd.  We  have  often  confused  noise  with 
music.  ''A  soft  voice  is  an  excellent  thing 
in  woman,"  and  it  seems  as  though  the 
average  person  liked  a  soft  tone  on  the 
piano.  A  great  virtuoso  cultivates  a  big, 
resonant  tone,  which  he  needs  in  a  place 
like  Carnegie  Hall,  but  children,  amate-urs, 
and  lovers  of  music  who  simply  want  to 
play  a  little  at  home  need  not  spend  hours 
in  acquiring  loudness.  Quality  is  better 
than  quantity,  and  with  the  right  physical 
condition,  and  the  training  which  induces 
listening,  there  is  very  little  danger  of  de- 

124 


Technique 

veloping  this  fault.  Pounding  and  bang- 
ing, in  the  sense  of  loudness  and  bril- 
liancy, is  a  curse,  as  many  a  weary  man  will 
testify. 

During  the  war  the  music  which  we  took 
into  hospital  wards  had  to  be  right  in  tone 
quality.  We  learned  this  through  experi- 
ence, and  it  is  distressing  to  think  that  there 
were  times  at  first  when  some  poor,  racked 
soul  was  forced  to  hear  a  voice  that  yelled 
or  a  pianist  who  poimded.  There  was  such 
a  demand  for  music  that  we  made  the  mis- 
take of  accepting  people  on  some  one  else*s 
recommendation.  It  was  the  men  them- 
selves who  made  us  realize  our  mistake  by 
turning  wearily  to  a  game  of  solitaire.  On 
the  contrary,  when  some  one  with  a  beauti- 
ful mellow  tone  sang  or  played,  it  was 
difficult  for  the  performer  to  get  away. 

Another  valueless  technical  practice  is 
the  repetition  of  one  figure,  either  scale  or 
phrase.  What  would  be  the  use  of  repeat- 
ing words  over  and  over  if  there  was  no 
connection  with  the  mind?  One  could 
never  get  very  far,  for  instance,  in  acting, 
if  the  words  of  a  part  were  simply  memo- 

125 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

rized  in  a  parrotlike  way,  yet  people  are 
continually  doing  this  in  music.  ''Now 
play  it  twenty-five  times  with  the  right  and 
twenty-five  times  with  the  left''  is  familiar 
to  most  of  us.  We  remember  a  pupil  who 
came  with  her  arms  full  of  exercise  books — 
Czerny,  Pishner,  Hannon,  Schmitt,  Cramer, 
and  Tausig.  She  proudly  announced  that 
she  had  "been  through  them  all."  "You 
must  have  a  very  good  technique  then,"  was 
,the  innocent  rejoinder.  "No,  it's  strange,  I 
cannot  play  a  thing,"  she  replied.  Is  it  not 
the  fault  of  our  entire  educational  system 
that  we  lay  stress  on  getting  through  some- 
thing in  a  mechanical  way  but  do  not  ask 
otirselves  whether  it  is  worth  anything 
practically  until  we  have  paid  a  fearful 
price  in  time  for  what  has  failed  to  yield 
any  result? 

A  few  vital  things  really  understood  and 
thought  about  are  worth  a  hundred  books  of 
exercises  gone  through  mechanically.  The 
latter  is  simply  a  waste  of  time.  Now 
that  we  see  how  these  things  bear  on 
technique  in  music  let  us  consider  for  a 
moment  how  we  can  achieve  relaxation, 

126 


Technique 

proper  breath  control,  mental  control,  and 
concentration. 

Doctor  Worcester,  originator  of  the  Em- 
manuel Movement,  gave  a  formxila  for  re- 
laxation which  proved  of  real  help  to 
people.  He  had  them  sit  quietly  in  a 
comfortable  chair  and  say  (with  eyes 
closed),  "I  now  relax  my  body."  Then 
every  part  of  the  body — head,  eyes,  neck, 
back,  arms,  etc.,  down  to  the  tips  of  the 
toes — is  told  to  let  go.  He  then  had  them 
say:  ''I  relax  body  and  mind.  I  let  go  of 
all  worry  and  fear.'*  Such  relaxation  opens 
the  consciousness  for  growth  and  permits 
the  body  to  become  an  avenue  of  expression. 

Concentration  comes  next,  and  this  is 
aided  by  breath.  So  having  relaxed,  breathe 
deeply  for  a  few  minutes,  then  begin  to  play, 
fixing  your  attention  on  the  center  of  your 
back — not  on  your  fingers.  (It  is  pre- 
supposed that  you  have  memorized  the 
notes.)  Now  listen  to  your  tone  and 
phrasing.  Here  breath  again  comes  into 
accoimt.  Breathe  in,  on  your  out  rhythmic 
swing,  and  let  out  yoiu*  breath  on  the 
inward  swing.     The  deeper  and  more  rhyth- 

127 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

mically  you  breathe  the  deeper  your  tone 
and  the  more  rhythmic  your  playing. 

Note  :   For  fuller  details  see  How  to  Breathe  Cor- 
rectly, by  Edward  Lankow. 


IX 

MUSIC  FOR   GROWN-UPS 

If  music  is  to  prove  itself  the  most  spiritual  of  all  the 
arts,  it  must  do  so  by  aid  of  the  audience. 

— R.  H.  SCHAUFFLER. 

DURING  the  war  everyone  realized, 
more  than  ever  before,  the  absolute 
necessity  of  music,  and  since  the  signing  of 
the  armistice  there  has  been  no  abatement 
in  the  steady  flow  of  people  to  concert  halls. 
There  now  is  a  real  love  and  appreciation 
of  music  in  this  coimtry.  The  next  step  is 
to  get  more  understanding  of  it.  Enjoy- 
ment and  benefit  come  from  imderstanding, 
and,  although  we  heartily  sympathize  with 
the  people  who  object  to  being  eternally 
**  educated, '*  we  know  that  everyone  is 
eager  for  a  reaction  that  will  combine 
pleasure  with  profit,  provided  it  be  not  too 

obviously    *' educational."    The   youth   of 

139 


'The  Philosophy  of  Music 

to-day  assumes  a  lightness,  a  frivolity,  a 
dislike  for  serious  occupation  that  would 
be  alarming  if  it  were  deep  seated.  But  the 
root  of  it  is  unrest,  coming  from  a  decision 
that  since  present  education  is  a  failure  we 
may  as  well  be  merry  and  uneducated. 
But  prove  to  any  person  of  adolescent  years 
and  scornful  attitude  that  there  is  real 
pleasure  and  the  possibility  of  growth  in 
anything  you  have  to  offer  and  you  will 
immediately  get  another  attitude.  What 
they  want  is  a  balance  of  intellect  and 
spirit.  We  have  said  so  repeatedly  that 
music  can  be  both  emotionally  satisfying 
and  scientifically  true  that  it  may  seem 
wearisome.  It  is  true,  nevertheless,  and 
people  have  lost  out  so  continually  by  being 
one-sided  that  it  is  about  time  to  change. 

Some  of  the  remarks  made  after  concerts 
are  illuminating,  in  that  they  are  an  indica- 
tion of  the  way  people  react  to  music. 
After  a  piano  recital  by  Novaes  we  heard 
a  woman  remark,  *'0h,  isn't  her  shoulder 
work  wonderful?*' 

After  a  Bauer  recital  of  modem  music — 

"Why  did  he  play  so  many  wrong  notes?*' 

130 


Music  for  Grown-ups 

At  a  performance  of  Beethoven's  fifth 
symphony — ''Doesn't  the  horn  play  loud, 
and  wasn't  the  conductor's  hair  fimny?" 

*'Does  music  go  up  and  down  or  cross- 
wise? 

"Did  you  see  that  lady  in  the  balcony? 
She  fainted  from  emotion  when  they  played 
the  Tschaikowsky  *  Pathetique. '  * '  (All  heart 
and  no  head  type.) 

In  his  delightful  book,  The  Musical 
Amateur  J  Robert  Schatiffler  says  a  great 
many  things  that  one  could  quote.  He 
divides  listeners  into  two  classes,  con- 
structive and  destructive.  He  speaks  of 
the  contagion  of  listeners,  and  says  that 
even  a  few  destructive  listeners  are  deadly 
to  the  crowd.  Harry  Earnhardt,  the  great 
commimity-singing  leader,  put  it  in  another 
way  when  he  said,  ''Sit  near  the  man  who 
sings  well;  if  you  can't  sing  yourself  you'll 
catch  it  from  him."  This  law  of  contagion 
certainly  works.  The  ancients  used  to  en- 
gage great  mathematicians,  great  historians, 
and  great  poets  simply  to  live  in  the  house 
with  their  children,  knowing,  as  they  did, 
that  something  of  what  these  great  minds 

131 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

contained  wotild  emanate  to  those  near 
them. 

So,  if  you  want  to  learn  to  become  a 
creative  Hstener,  select  some  one  who  hears, 
to  go  with  you  to  concerts.  Beware  of 
the  person  who  is  musically  educated  but 
destructively  critical.  Choose  a  companion 
who  has  a  right  heart  and  is  not  eternally 
looking,  as  some  one  has  put  it,  ''for  the 
btim  note.*'  But  what  is  creative  listening, 
and  how  shall  we  become  creative  listeners? 

Schauffler  describes  the  destructive  lis- 
teners as  ''All  head  and  no  heart,"  "All 
heart  and  no  head,"  and  "No  head  and  no 
heart."  He  tried  the  experiment  of  buying 
up  a  section  of  seats  at  symphony  concerts 
for  people  who  wanted  to  learn  to  listen 
creatively.  He  quotes  one  man  who  was 
the  fortunate  recipient  of  one  of  these 
tickets:  "I  shall  never  forget  the  thrill  of 
that  moment  when  the  master's  baton 
descended  out  of  the  tense  silence,  invoking 
the  power  and  glory  of  the  fifth  revelation 
according  to  Beethoven,  and  then,  as  I  felt 
something  within  me  resounding,  not  only 

to  the  recreation  of  that  music  by  string 

132 


Music  for  Grown-ups 

and  reed  and  brazen  throat,  but  vibrating 
as  well  to  kindred  resonances  from  the 
hearts  about  me,  I  suddenly  saw  art  in  a 
new  guise.  I  began  to  be  dimly  conscious 
of  music  as  a  social  power  binding  people 
by  myriads  of  strands  to  all  those  other 
human  beings  who  have  tasted,  or  are  to 
taste,  the  ecstasy  of  creative  listening/* 

But  what  is  creative  listening?  Schauf- 
fler  is  a  little  indefinite.  What  we  need  is  a 
little  simple  instruction  for  listeners,  giving 
them  not  only  the  inspiring  idea  of  what 
an  integral  part  they  really  are  of  every 
concert,  but  also  showing  them  how  they 
can  actually  hear  the  music  inwardly,  and 
so  become  a  very  part  of  it.  One  of  the 
simplest  things  for  a  music  lover,  who  goes 
to  concerts,  to  do  is  to  learn  not  to  look  so 
much,  but  to  listen. 

A  young  girl  was  describing  a  recital  by 
a  well-known  pianist  whose  blond  hair  is 
much  admired  by  his  feminine  followers. 
''Oh,  it  was  a  wonderful  recital.  I  can't 
remember  what  he  played,  but  his  hair 
looked  so  lovely  against  the  blue  curtain!*' 

Close  your  eyes,  relax  as  much  as  you  can, 

133 


*The  Philosophy  of  Music 

stop  thinking  and  simply  listen.  Now, 
to  the  average  person  who  has  had  a  year 
or  two  of  music  lessons  and  stopped  in 
disgust,  a  symphony  is  simply,  as  some 
one  has  put  it,  "a  nice  noise."  With  eyes 
glued  to  the  performers  and  mind  wander- 
ing, people  get  a  hazy  satisfaction,  a  sense 
of  ease,  or  a  certain  optimism,  from  hearing 
music,  but  they  could  easily  get  a  deeper, 
more  lasting,  and  much  more  fascinating 
effect  if  they  decided  to  become  musically 
conscious  of  what  they  were  hearing.  When 
people  speak  of  hearing  they  -are  sometimes 
mistaken  in  the  meaning  of  the  term,  for 
"to  hear,"  as  we  mean  it,  is  not  the  fact  of 
not  being  deaf,  it  is  the  act  of  being  in- 
wardly aware  of  what  is  being  played. 
There  is  actually  an  inner  ear  that  hears 
and  there  are  definite  ways  of  learning  to 
''hear  more." 

The  principles  spoken  of  before,  in  regard 
to  intelligently  listening  to  melody,  rhythm, 
and  harmony,  must  once  more  be  reiterated. 
To  close  the  eyes  and  relax  enables  you  to 
concentrate  upon  the  inner  listening  much 
better.     Blind    people    often    hear    better 

134 


/ 


Music  for  Grown-ups 

than  those  who  can  see  for  this  very  reason. 
To  close  the  eyes  is  simple,  but  to  relax  is 
different,  in  this  day  of  excitement  and 
imrest.  A  good  thing  to  do  is  to  go  to  the 
concert  hall  early,  and  deliberately  plan  to 
get  into  a  receptive  mood.  When  we  think 
of  how  people  rush  from  dinner  to  a  sym- 
phony, hardly  allowing  time  to  be  seated,  no 
wonder  the  music  means  nothing  but  a 
wave  of  emotion  or  a  feeling  of  ease.  To 
record  the  event  and  make  it  at  all  worth 
the  while  get  there  early,  sit  quietly,  and 
deliberately  relax  the  body  and  still  the 
mind,  cultivating  a  mood  of  receptivity. 
Choose  one  thing  on  the  program  to  which 
you  are  going  to  listen  analytically  and 
try  to  hear  the  following  things;  Is  the 
music  in  a  major  or  a  minor  key?  Can  you 
hear  the  keynote?  Can  you  follow  the 
simplest  idea  which  we  commonly  call  tune, 
a  motif,  or  phrase?  Can  you  feel  the  simple 
rhythmic  swing  of  that  phrase  or  motif? 
Could  you  make  a  picture  in  lines  on  your 
program  that  would  enable  you  to  store  that 
motif  in  your  mind,  carry  it  home,  and  pick 
it  out  on  the  piano?     Every  concert  should 

135 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

and  could  yield  us  a  harvest  if  we  could  recall 
one  or  two  tunes  that  would  help  cast  out  fear 
and  worry  in  times  of  stress,  helping  to  build 
up  hope  and  faith  in  their  stead.  There  is  a 
real  value  in  being  able  to  protect  ourselves 
from  destructive  thought  by  constructive 
memories,  such  as  a  beautiful  theme.  Con- 
structive thought  leads  to  constructive  ac- 
tion. Music,  stored  in  the  mind,  is  a  direct 
and  definite  means  of  constructive  action, 
which  is  not  only  a  benefit  to  individuals, 
but  to  homes,  cities,  states,  and  countries. 

Musical  education,  of  a  simple  sort,  would 
do  more  than  the  average  mind  can  imagine 
to  reconstruct  society.  Everyone  believes 
in  right  thinking.  Thinking  motifs  is  right 
thinking  of  a  high  and  powerful  order. 
Given  the  power  to  hear  the  pitch  (upward 
and  downward  movement)  of  a  theme,  or 
motif,  or  ttine,  to  hear  its  keynote,  its 
rhythm,  even  without  the  harmonic  setting, 
you  have  a  stored-up  picture  that  will 
arouse  feelings  of  peace,  rest,  love,  joy,  and 
altruism.  These  feelings  can  be  recalled 
through  your  power  to  recall  to  mind  the 
music.     Through  rehearsing  the  music  with 

136 


Music  for  Grown-ups 

attendant  feelings,  depression,  discourage- 
ment, fear,  anger,  hate,  and  destructive- 
ness  of  all  kinds  will  not  only  be  eliminated, 
but  replaced  by  harmony,  peace,  and  joy. 

Added  to  the  obvious  strength  of  melody, 
might  be  harmony — that  is,  the  ftmdamental 
bases  of  chords — I ,  IV,  and  V.  A  person  who 
knew  nothing  of  these  chords  might  have  to 
get  a  little  help  from  some  one  who  under- 
stood how  to  awaken  what  we  call  ^'hearing 
tinder*' — that  is,  hearing  the  root  tone  of 
the  I  chord,  the  IV  chord,  and  the  V  chord. 

We  are  looking  forward  to  the  time  when 
every  public  school  will  give  the  funda- 
mentals of  music  from  the  standpoint  of 
listening  and  living,  rather  than  that  of 
performance.  Rich  and  poor  need  this 
education,  and  the  awakening  of  the  har- 
monic consciousness  would  do  a  great  deal 
toward  bringing  about  better  social  con- 
ditions. Every^one  needs  it — the  capitalist 
and  the  cook,  the  day  laborer  and  the  queen. 
Is  there  anyone  in  any  walk  of  life  who  is 
not  looking  for  that  realm  of  melody, 
rhythm,  and  harmony  v/hich  he  must  and 
will  finally  find  in  himself? 

^Z7  . 


X 

PHONOGRAPHS  AND   PIANOLAS 

Musical  training  is  a  more  potent  instrument  than  any 
other,  because  rhythm  and  harmony  find  their  way  into  the 
inward  places  of  the  soul,  on  which  they  mightily  fasten. 

— Plato. 

NOW  that  everyone  agrees  that  music  is 
necessary,  that  every  sort  of  person 
both  wants  and  needs  music,  that  we  work 
better,  play  better,  think  better,  and  live 
better  if  there  is  plenty  of  music  to  decorate 
the  atmosphere,  the  question  naturally 
arises:  How  shall  everyone  get  it? 

It  is  still  almost  impossible  for  the  average 
person  to  have  sufficient  leisure  time  for 
study.  After  the  day's  work  a  man  needs 
a  certain  amount  of  absolute  rest  and  re- 
laxation. He  needs  the  peace,  the  inspira- 
tion that  music  can  give  him;  so,  if  he  can- 
not play  for  himself,  the  next  best  thing  is 
to  have  a  phonograph  or  a  pianola. 

138 


Phonographs  and  Pianolas 

Not  long  ago,  as  we  were  sitting  in  a 
train,  a  weary  brakeman  passed  through. 
Instantly  we  fell  to  discussing  what  kind  of 
music  he  should  have.  He  might  want  to 
play  the  violin  or  the  piano;  in  all  prob- 
ability he  did.  For,  judging  from  our 
experiences  in  Music  School  Settlements  and 
statistics  in  this  connection  in  the  public 
schools,  all  kinds  and  conditions  of  men, 
women,  and  children  want  to  play  some 
instnmient.  The  demand  for  music  is 
enormous.  Music  School  Settlements  al- 
ways have  long,  long  waiting  lists  of  eager 
applicants  who,  as  one  child  said,  love 
music,  consider  it  a  luxury,  and  are  very 
happy  that  they  can  get  it  for  twenty-five 
cents. 

When  the  late  Doctor  Rix  posted  a 
notice  to  the  effect  that  violin  lessons 
would  be  given  in  a  certain  public  school 
for  fifteen  cents  he  had  seven  thousand 
applicants.  Thousands  of  people  flock  to 
the  free  concerts  given  on  the  Columbia 
College  campus  during  the  summer  and  to 
those  given  in  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of 
Art  during  the  winter.    It  is  right  that  there 

10  139 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

should  be  this  free  music,  particularly  if  we 
want  a  new  nation  with  love,  beauty,  and 
harmony  as  its  ideal.  We  build  cathedrals, 
churches,  chapels,  and  do  all  we  can  to 
induce  people  to  go  to  them.  This  is  right, 
but  why  not  go  farther?  Since  God  is  love, 
love  is  harmony,  and  harmony  is  music, 
why  not  help  people  to  God  through  free 
music  ad  libitum. 

Music  is  a  spiritual  language  that  imites 
people  of  all  nations.  We  have  seen  Bo- 
hemians, Rumanians,  Chinese,  Poles,  Rus- 
sians, Italians,  French,  Scotch,  Irish, 
Jews,  and  Christians  all  mingling  in  a 
friendly,  happy  state  through  the  influence 
of  a  settlement  orchestra.  For  even  though 
they  may  not  understand  English,  they  do 
understand  the  universal  language  of  music. 

But  to  return  to  the  brakeman.  He 
must  have  some  music,  so  let  us  give  him  a 
phonograph,  say,  on  the  installment  plan. 
To  what  constructive  use  can  he  put  it? 
He  will,  in  all  probability,  buy  records  and 
enjoy  listening  to  them  in  a  more  or  less 
external  way,  for,  as  some  one  very  truly 
remarked,  "Sometimes  music  is  like  a  nice 

140 


Phonographs  and  Pianolas 

warm  bath,  and  sometimes  it's  like  an 
emotional  spree.** 

But  since  the  time  has  come  to  get  the 
balance  between  the  purely  emotional  side  of 
music  and  the  more  intellectual  side  we  must 
both  feel  and  think,  doing  neither  to  the 
exclusion  of  the  other.  We  can  do  both,  and 
should  do  both,  if  we  want  to  avoid  the 
overemotionalism  that  produces  inertia  and 
immorality,  as  well  as  the  over  intellectu- 
ality which  kills  all  love  and  joy.  What 
can  our  brakeman  do  to  achieve  this  happy 
mediimi? 

First,  he  can  and  must  be  careful  of  the 
kind  of  records  which  he  buys.  We  have 
learned  that  some  music,  notably  an  over- 
stimulating  type  of  ragtime,  wears  out  the 
nervous  system  instead  of  quieting  and  re- 
newing its  strength.  Such  records  should 
be  avoided.  But  good  marches,  waltzes, 
and  folk  dances  with  a  decided  rhythm  to 
which  he  can  pat  his  foot,  dance,  or  whistle, 
are  highly  recommended.  Then  as  his 
taste  develops  he  might  take  some  of  the 
standard  light  operas,  like  those  of  Gilbert 
and  Sullivan.     To  these  could  be  added  the 

141 


^The  Philosophy  of  Music: 

innumerable  lovely  ballads  which  he  knows 
and  always  loves.  Then,  if  he  has  perhaps 
a  little  guidance,  he  could  try  stopping  the 
instrument  in  the  middle  of  a  song  and 
completing  it  himself,  in  this  way  awaken- 
ing the  musical  consciousness,  though  with- 
out a  name.  If  he  could  have  more  help, 
he  might  then  try  singing  basses  and  altos 
with  the  instrument,  thus  discovering  for 
himself  the  underlying  harmonies  of  the 
tune. 

The  phonograph  is  also  an  excellent  way 
for  the  children  to  learn  good  songs,  as  well 
as  helping  the  whole  family  to  study  in  an 
informal  way  with  the  idea  of  learning  more. 
For  instance,  you  can  take  a  record  such  as 
Charles  Harrison,  singing  *' Mother  Ma- 
chree.**  Play  the  record  through,  having 
everyone  listen  to  the  time  and  its  ending. 
Let  anyone  who  wants  to,  try  to  sing  the 
tune  to  the  others,  and  let  the  others  judge 
whether  he  is  right  or  wrong.  Then  play 
it  over  again  and  have  everyone  end  on  the 
keynote  with  it.  Then  try  to  hear  whether 
it  is  major  or  minor.     Having  found  this 

out,  repeat  it  and  find  out  what  the  rhythm 

142 


Phonographs  and  Pianolas 

and  time  are.     Then  sing  the  end  note  as  a 
bass  note  like  this 


/7\ 


^ — m- 


J^ 


^ 


iizzht 


-a* ■»- 


:tir»: 


Oh,   God  bless  you    and   keep   yoa,    Moth-er     Ma  •  chree 


2^ 


Sing. 


and  come  in  with  that  bass  note  as  often 
as  it  seems  to  occur,  Hke  this 


Chorus. 


^=£=8^3^ 


-g — r- 


4=zzzt: 


le 


:^= 


^ 


3=q: 


-r     g 


f 


-L       I  I 


-* J- 


i=t: 


P^^ 


:?=: 


:&= 


i 


^ 


£ 


^ 


(V  of  C) 


-m — r- 
-j — ^ 


V  of  ] 


1^=^ 


£ 


143 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 


/IK 


3 


.'^ 


??^ 


^ 


atrat 


showing  I  and  V  chords  and  the  basses  to 
be  sung  in  chorus. 

If  anyone  can  sing  the  root  of  the  five 
chord  do  that.  The  next  evening  review 
what  was  done  the  night  before.  Then 
play  one  or  two  records,  having  each  person 
simply  relax  to  the  feeling  without  trying 
to  hear  anything  definite.  Then  go  back 
to  the  song  of  the  night  before  and  review 
it,  playing  the  keynote,  swinging  rh3rthm, 
tapping  time,  and  ''singing  imder.'* 

A  list  of  records  which  are  adapted  to 
this  kind  of  study  is  given  in  the  Appendix. 
The  same  thing  is  applicable  to  the  pianola, 
only  there  we  can  take  up  more  easily  than 
with  the  phonograph  the  study  of  the  terms 
of  music,  as  well  as  its  historic  forms. 

Where  one  comes  across  a  world-famous 

name  it  is  always  well  to  read  a  short  life 

of  the  naan.     This  lends  color  to  his  music, 

144 


Phonographs  and  Pianolas 

gives  a  better  understanding  of  the  emo- 
tional side  of  his  art,  and  opens  up  a  still 
wider  field  of  study. 

Naturally,  the  course  of  study  to  be  pur- 
sued through  a  phonograph  or  pianola 
would  differ  with  the  individual.  There 
would  be  any  number  of  people  farther  ahead 
in  taste,  needs,  and  interest  than  the  brake- 
man.  One  person  might  want  to  prepare 
to  listen  more  intelligently  to  a  concert. 
Another  might  wish  to  acquaint  himself 
with  opera,  while  still  another  might  only 
want  to  store  his  memory  with  beautiful 
songs.  But  in  each  case  the  only  fimda- 
mental  difference  in  procedure  is  the  choice 
of  records. 

So  through  mechanical  musical  instru- 
ments you  can  obtain,  if  you  are  sufficiently 
persistent  (for  even  here  music  requires  con- 
centration and  control  of  mind) ,  the  funda- 
mentals of  music  which  will  lead  you  to  a 
harmonious,  ftiller  life,  and  a  more  stable 
character. 


XI 

MUSIC  AND  HEALTH 


The  four  necessities  of  life  are  food,  shelter,  raiment,  and 
music. — RusKiN. 


SOME  years  ago  a  movement  was  started 
by  Eva  Vescelius  *  for  healing  through 
music.  But  despite  the  fact  that  marvelous 
results  were  obtained,  too  little  attention 
was  paid  to  it.  The  medical  profession 
scoffed  and  the  lay  mind  looked  askance. 

Always  having  believed  in  music  as  a 
fundamental  factor  in  the  general  develop- 
ment of  life,  we  felt  that  the  development 
was  one  of  significance  and  determined  to 
test  its  possibilities. 

We  gathered  groups  together  and  had 
some  one  play,  while  those  of  the  group 

*  Music  and  Healthy  by  Eva  Vescelius.  To  be  obtained  at 
The  League  for  the  Larger  Life,  227  West  Seventy-second 
Street,  New  York  City. 

146 


Music  and  Health 

recorded  the  effect  upon  themselves  by 
jotting  down  a  word  or  two,  such  as 
courage  and  hope,  as  the  effect  produced 
by  Chopin  Prelude  No,  i;  peace  and 
harmony,  that  of  Beethoven  Op.  31,  No.  3 
Minuetto,  etc. 

Musical  meditation  was  another  experi- 
ment— ^that  is,  improvising  on  the  piano  to 
certain  words.  Taking  such  a  phrase  as 
'^infinite  goodness,"  some  one  played  softly 
and  rhythmically  to  the  group  for  about 
five  minutes.  Soon  the  music  had  its 
effect  upon  both  player  and  listeners. 
Through  such  experiments  we  foimd  that 
music  was  one  of  the  greatest  helps  in 
accomplishing  constructive  meditation. 

But  up  to  that  time  we  had  only  experi- 
mented, then  one  day  came  an  opportimity 
to  prove  the  results.  A  young  woman  was 
dying.  Her  baby  had  died  at  birth  a  few 
weeks  previously,  and  since  that  time  the 
mother  had  steadily  failed.  The  doctor  had 
just  left  her  room  saying  emphatically  that 
there  was  no  hope  and  to  give  her  anything 
she  wanted. 

She  looked  up  at  her  agonized  husband 

147 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

and  said:  ^' Music.  I  want  music.  I  know 
that  will  cure  me."  Fantastic  as  the  idea 
seemed  to  him,  he  could  do  nothing  but 
hasten  to  give  her  the  thing  she  craved. 
So  they  brought  her  to  us,  motoring  many 
miles.  The  nurse  in  attendance  looked 
askance  on  what  seemed  to  her  a  foolhardy 
and  useless  errand. 

The  first  day  old  familiar  tunes  and  some 
of  the  Chopin  that  she  had  always  loved, 
especially  the  "F-sharp  Major  Nocturne,*' 
were  played  softly  to  her.  Her  body  relaxed 
under  the  soothing  influence,  her  nerves  be- 
came less  tense,  her  breathing  deeper  and 
more  rhythmical,  increasing  the  circulation. 
That  night  she  slept.  With  the  shutting  of 
the  senses  to  the  outside  world  the  harmonic 
reaction  brought  about  by  the  music  con- 
tinued its  work  of  healing  all  through  the 
night. 

The  next  day  she  was  visibly  stronger, 
so  the  music  played  was  of  a  gay  and 
rather  forceful  character — Grieg's  "Wed- 
ding Day"  and  some  folk  dances.  A  flush 
of  color  and  hope  came  to  the  faded  cheek. 
Her  mother,  nurse,   and  husband  all  ad- 

148 


Music  and  Health 

mitted  the  rapid  change,  and  the  patient 
herself  announced  that  she  was  going  to 
Hve,  which  she  did. 

Over  and  over  again  men  and  women 
who  have  not  rested  for  weeks  fall  quietly 
to  sleep  imder  the  influence  of  musical 
therapy.  Those  who  have  insufferable  wor- 
ries are  able  to  tmbosom  themselves,  head- 
aches disappear,  depression  is  relieved,  and 
severe  fevers  are  assuaged.  And  why  not? 
Musical  healing  is  not  merely  an  emotional 
thing  which  takes  a  patient's  mind  off  his 
troubles  for  the  time  being.  It  is  a  scien- 
tific fact  and  its  benefits  are  lasting. 

All  sound  is  vibration  and  commimicates 
itself  by  waves.  Physics  tells  us  that 
"When  a  tightly  stretched  violin  string  is 
set  in  transverse  vibration  by  plucking  or 
bowing  it,  a  sound  is  heard,  and  it  can  be 
seen  by  the  bliured  appearance  of  the  string 
that  it  is  in  rapid  vibratory  motion.  As 
the  vibration  dies  away  the  sound  becomes 
fainter  and  fainter  and  ultimately  ceases. 
If  the  vibration  is  suddenly  stopped  by 
touching  the  string,  the  soimd  at  once 
ceases."     Wave  motion  travels  out  from 

149 


^The  Philosophy  of  Music 

the  source  or  body  which  produces  it — in 
the  case  of  music,  this  is  the  instrument — 


to  the  surrounding  atmosphere.  The  sen- 
sation of  sound  therefore  is  produced  by  the 
wave  motion  from  the  source  of  soimd  on 
the  ear  drum. 

This  phenomenon  of  physiology  is  gener- 
ally admitted  and  understood  at  its  face 
value,  and  as  we  go  deeper  into  it  we  see 
that  through  the  sense  of  hearing  the 
plexes  of  nerves  in  the  human  body  catch 
the  vibrations  sent  out  from  the  source  of 
sound  and  vibrate  sympathetically  with 
them,  just  as  the  mute  strings  of  an  in- 
strument will  respond  to  waves  of  sound 
set  in  motion  by  the  plucking  of  the  strings 
on  another  instrument  in  the  same  room. 

As  everything  in  the  universe  is  in  vi- 
bration, thought  likewise  travels  in  waves. 
With  these  scientific  facts  before  us  we  see 
that  when  one  relaxes  and  listens  to  music, 
the  sound  waves  and  the  thought  waves 
combine  to  carry  their  vibratory  message, 
producing  a  similar  effect  upon  the  nervous 
system  of  the  body,  which  is  the  most 
finely   and    delicately    constructed    wiring 

150 


Music  and  Health 

system  known.  It  is  not  difficult  to  see, 
therefore,  that  the  proper  selection  of  music 
plays  a  very  large  part  in  musical  healing. 

If  the  patient  is  depressed  and  the  nerves 
are  unstrung  the  Gavotte  from  "  Iphigenia,'* 
or  something  similar,  will  raise  the  vibra- 
tions until  the  delicate  wiring  of  the  body 
is  in  tune.  If  the  nerves  are  taut  and 
tight,  almost  to  the  snapping  point,  a 
selection  should  be  chosen  which  will  relax 
and  loosen  them  imtil  they  are  vibrating 
in  sympathy  with  the  music.  They  are 
then  ready  to  carry  the  message  of  health, 
hope,  faith,  and  courage  to  all  parts  of 
the  body.  Breathing  becomes  normal  and 
rhythmic,  awakening  the  circulation,  and 
the  spirit  of  harmony  pulses  through  the 
whole  human  organism. 

Indeed,  thought  carries  so  perfectly 
.through  this  medium  that  it  is  not  only 
possible  but  easy  to  commimicate  ideas. 
We  once  played  the  Bach  ''Gavotte  in 
B  Minor**  (Saint-Saens)  to  a  man  who 
was  unusually  sensitive  but  not  in  the  least 
a  musician.  He  gave  the  following  per- 
fect   analysis    of    our    thought.     ''In    the 

151 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

beginning,  the  word  joy  was  the  theme; 
in  the  middle,  something  happened/'  The 
fact  of  the  matter  being  that  we  wanted  to 
use  the  third  pedal,  and  in  the  effort  to  find 
it  the  thread  of  the  thought  was  lost. 

Constructive  thinking  to  music  is  the 
consciousness  of  the  sound  itself  plus  a 
mental  and  a  spiritual  consciousness.  If 
people  who  play  are  thinking  of  their 
fingers,  their  notes,  or  of  their  own  per- 
formance the  audience  registers  that.  Per- 
fection of  technique  and  note  is  necessary, 
but  the  rest  must  also  be  there,  else  the  real 
inspiration  and  help  which  can  come  from 
music  is  lacking. 

Music  makes  anything  go.  It  makes  a 
peace  meeting  more  peaceful,  it  intensifies 
the  spirit  of  courage  in  soldiers,  it  makes 
drunkards  drink  more,  it  seduces,  it  up- 
lifts, it  stimulates  workers,  it  soothes  and 
it  heals.  We  are  to  decide  its  use,  de- 
structive or  constructive.  Nothing  is  wholly 
good  and  nothing  is  wholly  bad;  it  is  the 
use  we  make  of  it  which  determines  its 
effect. 

Since   the   war  doctors  have  begun   to 

152 


Music  and  Health 

admit  the  wonderful  help  of  music,  not 
only  in  cheering  the  depressed,  but  in 
actual  healing.  One  of  the  doctors  in  a 
war  hospital  not  only  approved  greatly  of 
music  in  the  wards,  but  brought  with  him 
from  his  own  hospital  in  the  West  an 
experience  that  is  worth  citing.  This  man 
was  a  lover  of  music  and  a  thorough  be- 
liever in  its  therapeutic  value.  He  proved 
to  his  own  satisfaction  and  that  of  his 
colleagues  that  by  using  certain  records  on 
the  phonograph  he  was  able  to  reduce  the 
amoimt  of  discomfort,  as  well  as  the  quan- 
tity of  the  ansesthetic  about  to  be  admin- 
istered to  patients  who  were  being  pre- 
pared for  operations.  He  had  music  played 
to  them  as  they  went  under  the  anaesthetic, 
and  again  as  they  were  emerging  from  its 
effects. 

Doctor  Peterson,  the  famous  neurologist, 
showed  us  a  little  Swiss  music  box  which 
he  had  had  made  for  his  patients  suffer- 
ing from  insomnia,  believing  that  it  would 
help  them  to  sleep.  He  smilingly  remarked 
that  its  only  drawback  was  that  it  ran 
down,  and  for  that  reason,  if  for  no  other, 

153 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

a  human  being  with  an  instniment  was 
preferable. 

The  war  precipitated  the  practical  appli- 
cation of  music  to  health,  giving  us  many 
opportimities  to  try  out  its  efficacy.  It 
also  gave  us  the  opportunity  of  proving 
that  the  mind  of  the  person  who  is  either 
singing  or  playing  has  a  great  deal  to  do 
with  the  effect  of  the  music  upon  the 
listener.  In  the  hospital  wards  men  in- 
stantly felt  the  difference  between  a  person 
who  simply  performed  music  and  one  who 
meditated  while  playing. 

The  following  case  came  to  our  notice 
when  we  went  out  to  one  of  the  hospitals 
for  men  who  were  unable  to  go  "over'*  on 
account  of  illness.  It  was  our  third  visit 
there,  and  since  there  were  so  many  wards 
that  we  could  not  cover  them  all  we  went 
to  those  which  we  had  not  visited  the  week 
before.  A  fine-looking  young  fellow,  clad  in 
a  dressing  gown,  kept  coming  out  of  one  of 
the  wards,  beckoning  to  us  and  then  dis- 
appearing. At  last  we  decided  to  go  and 
find  out  what  he  was  so  persistently  calling 
for.     His  eyes  glistened  as  he  said,  "If  you 

154 


Music  and  Health 

only  knew  what  this  music  has  meant  to 
me  you  certainly  would  come/*  We  re- 
turned to  his  ward,  where  we  played  and 
sang,  and  he  told  us  this  story:  He  was 
from  the  Middle  West  and  had  only  been 
married  a  few  months  when  a  telegram 
came,  saying  that  his  wife  had  died  sud- 
denly. He  went  all  to  pieces.  **They 
took  me  to  the  nut  ward,"  he  said,  *'and  I 
didn't  think  I  would  ever  come  out.  Then 
one  day  you  people  came  in  with  the  music. 
I  never  can  tell  you  what  a  sudden  feeling 
of  restoration  and  health  came  to  me  when 
the  lady  played  on  the  violin."  (''The 
Swan,"  by  Saint-Saens  was  the  piece 
played.)  "I  knew  I  was  well,"  he  con- 
tinued, ''and  could  hardly  wait  for  the  doc- 
tor to  confirm  it  and  send  me  over.  I 
realized  that  I  must  forget  my  personal  sor- 
rows for  the  sake  of  my  country,  and  I  did. 
Here  I  am  going  to  be  discharged  to-mor- 
row, and  going  over  next  week."  His  blue 
eyes  shone  as  he  said:  ''There's  something 
about  the  music  you  play  that  we  all  feel. 
It's  different  from  the  rest;  seems  to  go 
right  to  the  spot  and  gives  us  courage." 
11  155 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

The  people  who  played  that  day  had  con- 
sciously ministered,  both  mentally  and  musi- 
cally, to  these  men.  Musical  meditation  is 
much  more  powerful  than  the  performance  of 
music  by  some  one  whose  thoughts  are  wan- 
dering and  whose  mind  is  not  concentrated. 

A  nun  in  one  of  our  suburban  hospitals 
played  her  patients  to  sleep  instead  of  giv- 
ing them  the  prescribed  narcotics.  The 
doctor,  skeptical  at  first,  was  glad  enough 
to  get  such  good  results  without  the  dis- 
agreeable reaction  from  drugs.  In  all  hos- 
pitals the  day  should  begin  with  music. 
Music  should,  as  some  one  has  aptly  put  it, 
decorate  the  atmosphere  continually  and 
keep  us  all  in  touch  with  the  realm  of  har- 
mony in  ourselves.  It  should  be  a  bridge 
between  heaven  and  earth,  but  we  have 
been  misusing  it.  In  one  of  Tolstoy's  books 
he  complains  of  a  girl  who  insisted  upon 
practicing  or,  rather,  banging  one  passage 
of  the  Liszt  ''II  Rhapsody''  over  and  over. 
He  also  writes  in  the  Kreutzer  Sonata  of 
the  sensual  effect  of  music.  Both  times  he 
is  justified  in  what  he  says,  for  in  many 
cases  we  have  misused  music. 

156 


Music  and  Health 

It  IS  one  thing  for  great  artists  to  prac- 
tice hotirs  and  hours  on  the  difficult  com- 
positions of  Schumann,  Liszt,  Bach,  and 
others.  They  have  a  right  to  reproduce 
these  masterpieces  for  those  who  can  imder- 
stand  and  appreciate  them,  it  being  their 
Hfe  work;  but  for  the  average  person  it  is 
futile  and  vain,  and  worse  than  a  waste  of 
time.  If  the  ordinary  person  would  only 
learn  to  hear  and  understand  some  beauti- 
ful and  simple  music  and  to  play  with  a 
mellow  tone,  instead  of  whacking  the  piano, 
we  would  have  the  full  benefit  of  music, 
physically  and  spiritually. 

The  ordinary  practicing  of  music  is  de- 
structive to  the  nervous  system.  '  Look  at 
the  physical  wrecks  who  have  returned 
from  Europe,  or  even  from  some  conserv- 
atories in  this  country.  We  are  mad  to 
allow  our  children  to  destroy  themselves 
in  this  way.  I  have  a  case  in  mind  which 
clearly  illustrates  this  point. 

Two  women  met  and  went  into  ecstasies 
over  a  foreign  teacher  with  whom  their 
respective  son  and  daughter  had  been 
studying.     At  the  end  of  the  conversation 

157 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

one  mother  asked  the  other,  "Where  is  your 
son  now?"  ''In  a  sanitarium/*  answered 
the  first  woman.  ''And  where  is  your 
daughter?"  "She  is  dead,"  the  other  re- 
pHed,  s^dly. 

One  very  rainy  night  a  yoimg  crippled 
girl,  who  had  sacrificed  a  great  deal  to  get 
down  to  the  settlement  for  a  normal  class, 
finding  herself  the  only  member  of  the  class 
who  had  braved  the  storm,  asked  the  teacher 
to  play  for  her.  The  latter  knew  how  ill 
she  was,  and  also  knew  how  to  meditate 
when  she  played.  She  played  many  things, 
always  with  some  constructive  thought  in 
her  mind.  After  the  hour  was  over  the  girl 
stood  up,  and  thanked  her,  saying:  "There 
is  something  different  in  the  way  you  play. 
I  cannot  make  it  out,  but  I  had  a  bad  head- 
ache when  I  came  in  and  now  it  is  gone. 
Besides  that,  I  had  quarreled  with  my  step- 
father, and  now  I  am  at  peace  with  him 
inwardly  and  shall  go  home  and  make  it 
objectively  true." 

Now  we  know  that  music  will  be  more 
than  doubled  in  its  spiritualizing  effect  if 
the  mind  of  the  player  is  fixed  upon  some 

158 


Music  and  Health 

constructive  or  soothing  or  awakening 
thought.  It  is  this  that  we  call  musical 
meditation. 

During  the  last  few  years  all  of  us  have 
realized  that  our  hectic  living  is  wrong — 
rushing  madly  from  one  thing  to  another, 
asking  questions  and  not  stopping  long 
enough  to  hear  the  answer,  dragging  our 
children  from  one  lesson  to  another,  and 
then  surfeiting  them  with  all  sorts  of 
artificial  amusements.  All  of  this  seems 
like  a  game  invented  to  prevent  anyone 
from  pausing  to  think.  Have  we  really 
come  to  this,  that  our  state  of  mind  is  too 
imdesirable  to  be  allowed  a  moment's 
chance  in  which  to  register? 

Various  new  kinds  of  religion,  such  as 
Christian  Science,  Unity,  New  Thought, 
Divine  Science,  Bahaism,  and  some  of  the 
Eastern  philosophies,  are  asking  people  to 
keep  still,  at  least  for  a  few  moments  each 
day.  The  contention  is  that  in  doing  this 
the  inner  voice  will  speak,  and  health, 
peace  of  mind,  and  control  of  environment 
will  be  the  outcome.  A  great  many  people 
will  tell  you  of  practical  instances  in  which 

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The  Philosophy  of  Music 

they  have  spent  a  profitable  half  hour  in 
silence,  or  how  they  have  become  convinced 
of  just  what  course  to  pursue,  thus  working 
out  a  hard  problem  victoriously.  Orthodox 
religious  people  will  say,  "  But  we  have  been 
told  from  the  days  of  Moses  and  David  to 
*Be  still  and  know  that  I  am  God.'"  Yes, 
but  they  have  not  been  still,  nor  have  they 
known  that  they  were  God.  The  answer  of 
a  certain  clergyman  rather  exemplifies  this 
attitude.  On  being  told  of  what  a  New 
Thought  noon  hour  of  silence  had  done 
for  one  of  his  parishioners  he  said:  ''Yes, 
it  is  true  that  meditation  is  good  for  the  soul. 
I'm  sorry  I  am  so  busy  that  I  never  have 
time  for  it." 

A  little  book  called  The  Practice  of  the 
Presence  of  God''  written  by  a  sixteenth- 
century  monk,  tells  of  how  the  author 
lived  every  moment  of  his  very  practical 
and  useful  life  in  the  consciousness  of  the 
Divine  Presence,  being  in  a  continual  state 
of  meditation,  even  while  he  was  peeling 
potatoes  in  the  kitchen. 

Musical  meditation  is  a  combination  of 
this  attitude  of  mind  and  music.     Dr.  James 

i6o 


Music  and  Health 

Porter  Mills  was  the  first  person  to  make 
this  happy  combination  —  music  and 
thought.  At  his  meetings  he  gave  drills 
in  concentration,  to  music.  The  first  time 
it  was  done  the  wonderful  sense  of  rest  and 
the  ease  with  which  one  could  hold  a  thought 
made  us  realize  its  power. 

Last  winter  we  had  the  pleasure  of  speak- 
ing to  the  congregation  of  Doctor  Guthrie, 
whose  famous  old  church,  St.  Marks-in-the- 
Bowery,  is  so  well  known  for  the  practical 
nature  of  its  spiritual  life.  In  speaking  of 
musical  therapy,  musical  meditation  was 
naturally  touched  upon.  Doctor  Guthrie 
insisted  upon  holding  a  meditation  then 
and  there.  We  took  the  words,  "Infinite 
Goodness,'*  improvised  softly  to  these 
words,  the  four  hundred  people,  cultivated 
men  and  women,  joining  in  the  silent  thought 
to  music.  After  the  meeting  a  number  of 
people,  especially  men,  came  up  and  spoke 
enthusiastically  of  the  rest  that  it  had 
given  them. 

For  musical  meditation,  a  program  could 
be  made  such  as  this :  for  insomnia — ''Peace, 
Perfect  Peace";   for  depression,  in  connec- 

i6i 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

tion  with  some  serious  illness  that  may  look 
hopeless — "The  Joy  of  the  Lord  Is  Your 
Strength,"  or  just  Joy  or  Power  or  Love; 
for  headache — Harmony  and  Love.  There 
are  two  ways  of  directing  this  musical 
meditation,  one  is  to  improvise  to  the 
words ;  the  other,  to  choose  some  very  good 
melody,  such  as  Rubinstein's  Romance  in 
E  flat,  Chopin's  F-sharp  Nocturne,  or  the 
C  Major  Prelude  No.  i,  which  are  all  good 
for  this  purpose,  using  appropriate  words, 
such  as  have  been  mentioned,  while  you 
play. 

Learn  to  pick  out  a  tune,  and  to  find  the 
chords  that  go  with  it ;  you  can  then  add  to 
this  some  words  of  health,  joy,  peace,  or 
aspiration  and  see  how  it  will  link  you  to 
the  heavenly  realm  within  yourself  and 
make  you  physically  better.  If  you  have 
a  phonograph,  listen  to  that  in  a  more  con- 
scious way,  using  different  records  for  dif- 
ferent purposes,  as  Chanson  d'Inde  for  ab- 
straction into  higher  realms,  or  a  Strauss 
waltz  for  the  joy  of  life. 

If  you  go  to  a  concert  and  have  learned 
to    hear    the    fundamentals    of    Melody, 

162 


Music  and  Health 

Rhythm,  and  Harmony,  associate  with  this 
music  some  words  of  the  master  poets,  or 
quotations  from  the  great  scriptures,  such 
as  the  New  Testament,  the  Bhagavid  Gita, 
or  the  Koran,  and  to  you  will  surely  come 
more  harmony  of  mind  and  body,  and  from 
you  will  radiate  more  health  and  love  to 
those  about  you. 


XII 

THE   PHILOSOPHY  OF   MUSIC 

Music  is  a  moral  law.  It  gives  a  soul  to  the  universe, 
wings  to  the  mind,  flight  to  the  imagination,  a  charm  to 
sadness,  gayety  and  life  to  everything  else.  It  is  the  essence 
of  order  and  leads  to  all  that  is  good,  just,  and  beautiful — 
of  which  it  is  the  invisible  but  nevertheless  dazzling,  pas- 
sionate, and  external  form. — Plato. 

WE  began  with  the  idea  of  finding  a 
means  of  bringing  out  of  ourselves 
more  joy,  more  health,  more  love,  and  more 
happiness,  through  the  inner  realization  of 
music.  The  concluding  thought  is,  that  the 
remedy  for  all  ills  is  education.  Real  edu- 
cation develops  energy,  power,  and,  best  of 
all,  faith.  It  develops  so  much  faith  that 
there  is  no  room  for  fear.  Faith  in  any- 
thing is  a  tremendous  asset,  but  faith  in 
one's  own  inner  connection  with  the  source 
of  all  power  and  truth  changes  everything 
for  the  better.     Nothing  will  succeed  with- 

164 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

out  enthusiasm,  fervor,  energy,  and  faith. 
Let  us  go  back  and  trace  the  steps  which 
finally  lead  to  this  faith-consciousness. 

We  rise  or  fall  through  our  senses.  Our 
training  has  been  so  very  superficial  and 
unconnected  with  life  that  we  must  virtually 
be  re-educated. 

In  the  teaching  of  music  we  have  looked 
for  a  superficial  effect,  rather  than  for  real 
training.  The  sense  of  hearing  is  naturally 
to  be  trained  through  the  study  of  music. 
Music  study  also  involves  the  senses  of 
sight  and  touch.  These  senses  linked  up 
and  in  an  active  state  give  us  what  we  call 
feeling.  To  really  listen  is  much  more  dif- 
ficult than  we  realize,  because  our  bodies 
are  not  in  perfect  condition,  and  we  are 
accustomed  to  such  scattered  mental  proc- 
esses. To  still  the  mind  means  a  powerful 
control — and  who  has  it? 

Listening,  then,  or,  better  yet,  silence, 
is  really  the  first  step  in  hearing,  Soimd, 
color,  and  form  are  the  three  sides  of  every- 
thing in  the  material  imiverse,  and  the 
natural  universe  is  our  means  of  contacting 
the  invisible  universe,  the  deeper  conscious- 

i6s 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

ness,  the  self,  or  God.  If  we  will  but  take 
the  material  given  us  and  use  it  we  will 
really  develop.  The  brain  is  said  to  be 
capable  of  90  per  cent  more  development 
than  we  give  it.  Our  hearing  is  practically 
imawakened,  even  in  the  everyday  sense, 
because  we  do  not  listen.  Some  one  comes 
from  a  distance  to  ask  a  question;  while 
you  are  answering  it  he  is  thinking  of  some- 
thing else  or  asking  another  question. 
No  one  listens.  Listening  involves  con- 
centration, and  who  can  concentrate? 
!  Music  stands  in  a  much  closer  connection 
with  pure  sensation  than  any  of  the  other 
arts,  for  they  depict  images  of  external 
objects,  whereas  in  music  the  sensation  of 
the  tone  is  in  itself  the  material  of  the  art. 
This  sensation  is  only  to  be  had  through 
concentrated  listening. 

Through  the  very  simple  drills  given  in 

;  the  preceding  chapters  one  can  learn  to 

concentrate  and  to  listen.     Music  is,  one 

might  say,  organized  sound.     Its  laws  are 

S  simple.     It  is  a  combination  of  beauty  and 

order  which  everyone  loves  and  needs.     It 

^  is  for  everyone,  not  only  for  the  talented 

^y  166 


< 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

few.  It  IS  for  everyone*  as  a  means  of  de- 
velopment, and  is  not  merely  a  means  of 
performing  upon  some  instrument.  It  is 
a  form  of  consciousness  to  be  attained 
through  individual  effort  with  the  help  of 
a  few  definite  exercises.  The  banker  needs 
it,  so  do  the  cook,  the  brakeman,  and  the 
philosopher.  It  is  no  respecter  of  persons, 
but  free  to  all  who  will  take  the  trouble 
to  work  it  out  in  the  simple  way  which 
leads  us  to  a  fuller  life. 

We  want  to  learn  to  be  in  tune  with 
higher  vibrations,  because  we  realize  that 
we  shall  have  more  joy,  more  health,  more 
happiness.  To  attain  this  is  both  possible 
and  practical.  If  we  are,  as  most  of  us 
believe,  gods  in  the  making,  the  process 
is  from  a  lower  to  a  higher  vibration.  The 
writer  has  not  enough  technical  knowledge 
of  physics  to  speak  deeply  of  the  science  of 
sound,  but  reasoning  it  out  from  a  common- 
sense  survey  of  the  subject  it  appears  to 
be  in  this  wise : 

A  pig  likes  to  be  scratched  on  his  back — 
low  rate  of  vibration ;  a  cat  likes  to  have  her 
fur  stroked — again  low  rate  of  vibration; 

167 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

the  ear  receives  the  impressions  of  rumbling 
wagons — a  Httle  higher,  but  still  a  low  rate 
of  vibration;  the  wind  howls,  the  sea  rages, 
water  splashes — a  little  higher  rate.  Then 
comes  a  rhythmic  sound,  a  drum  or  some- 
thing like  it,  in  which  there  is  regularity. 
Then  the  sound  begins  to  move,  up  or 
down,  and  to  have  a  particular  resting 
place — keynote.  Then  another  element  is 
heard,  making  a  foundation  for  the  melody 
and  rhythm,  until  at  last  we  have  a  com- 
plete thing — a  combination  of  three  ele- 
ments of  beauty,  which  we  call  music. 

We  all  know  that  a  temporary  sense  of 
rest,  joy,  or  pleasure  comes  from  hearing 
music  even  without  understanding  it.  This 
can  be  multiplied  a  thousandfold,  giving 
the  faith-conscioueness  before  spoken  of, 
if  one  can  really  hear  and  so  enter  into  the 
world  of  music.  Nature  lovers  know  a 
feeling  of  unutterable  joy  caused  by  ocean, 
sunset,  trees,  and  scenes  of  natural  beauty. 
The  same  state  can  be  obtained  through 
music  when  it  can  be  photographed  or 
registered  on  the  brain  and  rehearsed  in  the 
absence  of  musical  instnmients.     But  the 

i68 


r 


^he  Philosophy  of  Music 

great  question  is,  how  shall  everyone  be 
given  a  chance  to  enter  into  this  inner 
world  of  music?  Symbolically,  music  stands 
for  the  harmonizing  principle  in  life,  and 
practically  it  so  works  out  if  we  are  willing 
to  be  very  simple  about  it.  Listening  has 
been  known  down  the  ages  as  a  means  of 
spiritual  development.  Learning  really  to 
listen  is  what  brings  us  in  touch  with  our- 
selves, and  through  this  inner  contact  we 
get  the  answer  to  our  problems.  The 
scriptures  of  all  countries  lay  great  stress 
on  stillness,  and  every  great  philosopher 
has  given  days  and  nights  to  silent  medita- 
tion. It  is  all  quite  a  simple  and  not  at  all 
a  supernatural,  mysterious  thing,  this  re- 
laxing and  listening.  Many  a  business 
man  has  attained  success  through  what  he 
calls  a  *' hunch."  In  other  words,  he  retires 
to  his  office  and  waits  until  he  feels  or  hears 
a  definite  guidance  in  regard  to  his  special 
problem. 

What  better  technique  could  anyone 
have  than  the  power  to  retire  to  an  inner 
sanctuary  within  himself,  there  to  obtain 
the  right  answer  to  any  problem?     ''Sing- 

169 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

ing  tinder/*  as  we  call  singing  the  roots  of 
chords,  has  developed  this  power  in  many  a 
child,  so  that  they  have  had  the  capacity  to 
still  their  minds  and  really  listen  to  giiidance 
which  has  saved  their  lives  and  brought 
them  happiness.  To  ''hear  under"  brings 
a  sense  of  security,  which  in  turn  develops 
faith — faith  in  that  inner  kingdom  of  har- 
mony which,  as  one  of  our  great  teachers 
has  put  it,  "makes  every  man  his  own  best 
companion/' 

The  fact,  then,  that  in  music  law  and 
order  reign  is  proved  without  question. 
We  have  seen  that  there  is  a  melodic  law 
unfailing  in  its  exactness.  We  have  seen 
faith  restored  by  the  recognition  of  this  one 
fact — faith  in  an  unseen  Power  which  is 
orderly  and  justly  working  out  everything 
with  mathematical  precision.  If  you  send 
out  a  thought  of  hate,  fear,  or  worry  you 
will  receive  the  same.  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  you  send  out  one  of  love,  faith,  and 
hope  the  same  will  be  returned. 

If  we  are  really  musically  conscious, 
music  brings  us  to  a  feeling  of  harmony 
within  and  without  which  at  once  becomes 

170 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

religious.  It  is  better  to  be  able  to  pick 
out  some  little  melody  with  one  finger  and 
really  hear  it  than  to  play  a  Beethoven 
sonata  in  an  external  way.  A  tune  is 
essentially  a  spiritual  thing.  We  can  neither 
see  it  nor  touch  it.  Listening  inwardly 
and  learning  step  by  step  how  to  retain 
the  consciousness  of  this  tune,  so  that  we 
may  in  time  of  stress  rehearse  it,  protects 
us  from  feelings  and  thoughts  that  are 
destructive.  No  one  really  enjoys  being 
destructive,  either  outwardly  or  inwardly. 
The  price  paid  is  far  too  great.  Imagine, 
then,  a  form  of  general  education  by  which 
each  person  became  convinced  that  within 
himself  was  the  "meeting  place  with  God," 
harmony  and  order,  plus  the  answer  to  any 
and  every  problem.  Would  it  not  be  a 
form  of  imiversal  religion  with  practical 
resiilts? 

Little  children  are  ahead  of  adults  in  this 
respect;  help  them  to  retain  it  by  con- 
necting their  musical  education  through 
songs,  musical  games,  and  little  times  of 
their  own  making.  Grown  people,  who 
have  to  work,  should  have  had  this  training 

12  171 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

in  school.  Everyone  should  be  given  these 
fundamentals  of  listening  as  a  regular  part 
of  his  education. 

Concentration  of  mind,  so  much  talked 
about  and  so  rarely  attained,  is  one  of  the 
results  of  intelligent  listening.  Concentra- 
tion is  consecration.  One  of  the  great 
mystics  has  said  that  all  we  can  ever  give 
to  God  is  attention.  Listening  trains  the 
mind  to  pay  attention.  Schools,  in  fact 
every  type  of  life — domestic,  industrial,  and 
professional — are  full  of  people  who  have  too 
little  power  of  concentration.  It  is  the  ob- 
vious reason  for  failure  in  any  undertaking, 
be  it  business  or  religion.  But  interest 
must  precede  this  much-desired  concentra- 
tion, and  music,  studied  from  within,  proves 
itself  to  be  intensely  interesting,  one  might 
say  fascinating. 

Connect  music  with  words  and  you  get 
one  of  two  things,  a  song  or  a  chant.  The 
repetition  of  any  constructive  idea  is  help- 
ful, and,  when  music  is  added,  it  becomes 
doubly  so.  Chanting  has  been,  and  still  is, 
a  part  of  all  ritual,  and  rightly  so.     It  is 

simply  singing  constructive  words  in  a  sim- 

172 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

pie  measured  way.  "Music  makes  any- 
thing go.  Chant  your  heart's  desire,  and 
it  will  come  to  pass." 

Modem  chanting,  or  chanting  to  the 
times  known  by  people  of  to-day,  is  a 
strong  help,  both  in  its  healing  power  and 
in  character-building.  Fine  characters  will 
live  fine,  helpful  lives.  "As  a  man  think- 
eth,  so  is  he."  For  the  religious  life  of 
to-day  we  prescribe  some  gay  singing  on 
arising  in  the  morning.  Control  depression 
and  laziness  by  singing  while  you  bathe, 
exercise,  and  dress. 

The  power  of  the  word  is  mighty.  A 
child  will  laugh  at  a  bump  if  you  teach  him 
to  say  "funny"  when  he  falls  down.  So  it 
is  with  us  all.  What  we  say  about  it,  and 
what  we  sing  about  it,  determines  its  effect 
for  good  or  evil  upon  us.  A  great  many 
people  have  absolutely  made  themselves 
over  by  persistent  constructive  chanting. 
A  woman,  in  some  articles  on  success, 
ordered  her  pupil  to  say  "joy"  sixty  times 
every  day.  It  seemed  ridiculous,  but  at  the 
end  of  the  sixty  times  her  depression  had 

173 


The  Philosophy  of  Music. 

fled!  And,  laugh  as  we  may,  the  proof  is 
in  the  result.  Now  chant  something  joyous 
over  and  over  and  see  the  effect.  The 
dancing  and  chanting  followers  of  Eastern 
cults  had  a  grain  of  truth  in  them  which 
did  powerfully  affect  their  lives. 

Repetition  of  the  same  time  to  given 
words  with  improvised  basses  that  vary  a 
little  will  induce  sleep  in  some  racked  per- 
son whose  eyelids  have  not  closed  in  many 
an  hour.  Mothers  are  wise  when  they 
croon  to  their  babes.  In  the  hospitals  we 
have  had  wonderful  experiences,  both  with 
our  soldiers  and  children.  A  place  cannot 
maintain  gloom  where  there  is  music  plus 
a  right  mental  attitude.  People  cast  gloom 
over  whole  companies  if  they  are  inwardly 
depressed  or  perturbed.  But  they  can 
also  change  a  gloomy  group  into  a  joyous 
one  through  a  mental  attitude  of  harmony 
and  cheerfulness.  Mental  integrity  is  what 
we  need  in  this  world  of  ours,  people  in 
tune  with  themselves  who  are  thinking  in  a 
constructive  way  about  the  ''other  fellow.'* 

Music  is  in  a  sense  a  religion,  in  that  it 
teaches  us  to  practice  what  every  bible  has 

174 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

preached — love.  Love  and  harmony  are 
S3nionyinous.  We  look  and  long  for  the  day 
when  this  power  to  retire  to  an  inner  state 
of  harmony  has  been  awakened  in  every 
living  individual.  Ignorance  is  the  only 
sin.  Light  comes  through  stillness  and 
listening.  Music  is  really  an  invisible 
world,  the  world  of  beauty  and  of  order, 
which  we  can  find  within  ourselves.  Music, 
we  repeat,  has  been  regarded  too  much  as 
an  accomplishment  and  too  little  as  a  means 
of  development.  To  urge  a  child  to  learn 
to  play  "pieces"  before  he  really  hears  in- 
wardly is  to  spoil  a  spiritual  realization  for 
him  and  blunt  his  power  of  solving  the 
problems  of  life.  Children,  when  they  are 
very  small,  are  full  of  faith.  Music,  heard 
inwardly  through  listening,  certifies  faith 
in  a  wonderful  way.  Therefore  we  should 
let  the  children  develop  slowly  and  truly 
by  hearing  before  they  play. 

If  every  child  in  our  schools,  public  and 
private,  could  only  have  this  early  training 
in  listening  and  understanding  the  law  of 
order  and  harmony  of  sound  to  be  found 
within   themselves,    this   would   be   a   far 

175 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

better  world  in  which  to  live.  Some  one 
has  said  that  knowledge  is  "the  arctic  zone 
of  the  soul,"  and  this  is  indeed  true  of 
music.  To  try  to  get  an  effect — that  is, 
to  perform,  before  we  are  inwardly  con- 
scious, is  starting  in  the  wrong  way.  Our 
education,  essentially  in  music,  has  always 
seemed  to  dodge  the  beginning.  If  we  want 
what  the  mystics  call  ''God  consciousness'* 
we  must  be  willing  to  begin.  Impatience 
is  one  of  our  very  worst  faults.  No  parent 
in  the  Settlement  ever  wanted  to  see  the 
word  ''beginner"  on  his  child's  music;  he 
wanted  ' '  concert. ' '  Everyone  of  us  is  guilty 
of  this  in  some  degree,  and  it  is,  absolutely, 
death  to  progress. 

All  the  letters  of  the  alphabet  tacked  on 
to  a  name  will  not  make  a  really  fine  person; 
so  all  the  external  equipment  musically 
possible  will  not  bring  you  in  actual  touch 
with  the  inner  harmonic  world  which  is 
music.  Music  is  religion  in  the  sense  of  its 
being  a  form  of  consciousness  common  to  all 
who  have  let  go  of  the  outside  and  listened. 
To  be  master  of  environment  is  to  be 
V       master  of  life.     Music  gives  the  necessary 

176 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

development  for  this  attainment.  We  only 
register  what  we  actually  let  in.  We  can 
change  conditions  by  symbolically  dipping 
every  inharmony  into  the  harmonic  world 
within  oiirselves  and  thus  transmuting  it 
into  harmony.  A  yotmg  girl  once  did  this 
by  clinging  persistently  to  a  little  tune  while 
chaos  reigned  around  her.  We  can  always 
dwell  mentally  in  a  world  of  our  own,  and 
music  is  a  means  given  us  by  which  we  may 
tiHTL  failure  into  victory,  and  chaos  into  calm. 

Listening  forces  us  to  look  within,  to 
seek  and  know  otirselves.  The  inner  world 
is  the  real  world.  ''Be  still  and  know  that 
I  am  God"  in  terms  of  to-day  is,  ''Still  your 
body,  relax,  and  listen."  You  will  not  only 
hear  the  end  of  the  tune  and  the  funda- 
mental chords,  but  you  will  learn  that  by 
stilling  your  mind  you  will  be  able  to  get 
the  right  answer  to  your  problems.  Follow 
this  inner  listening  with  action  and  you  have 
a  perfectly  balanced  philosophic  basis  for 
both  music  and  life. 

From  within  out,  this  is  the  process,  this 

is  education,  this  is  the  road  to  health  and 

happiness. 

177 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

Harmony  shows  us  that  there  is  always  a 
resolution  to  a  dissonance — that  is,  a  solu- 
tion to  every  problem,  and  if  we  will  listen, 
we  can  hear  it.  A  good  foimdation  brings 
good  returns.  A  foundation  laid  within 
will  unfailingly  bring  returns  on  the  ob- 
jective plane.  A  harmonic  state  of  mind 
is  sure  to  be  externalized  in  outer  conditions 
of  harmony.  "Love  in  search  of  a  word,'* 
is  Sydney  Lanier's  definition  of  music. 
This  language  of  love  is  in  a  sense  a  silent 
language  in  that  stillness  is  the  first  requi- 
site for  hearing.  A  person  who  lives  har- 
moniously is  inwardly  conscious  of  an  im- 
qualified  faith  and  happiness  based  upon  a 
state  of  consciousness.  If  each  person  were 
at  home  with  himself  he  would  have  neither 
time  nor  desire  to  defame  his  neighbor. 
Through  his  own  harmony  he  would  a/fect 
and  iniect  others.  Through  oiu*  mental 
habits  we  either  add  to  or  subtract  from  the 
general  harmony  of  the  world.  Give  to 
everyone  a  little  training  in  listening  and 
he  automatically  becomes  a  part  of  the 
ocean  of  faith,  love,  and  harmony  which  is 

finally  to  enfold  us  all  as  one  great  family. 

178 


BOOKS    AND   MUSIC 

PSYCHOLOGY 

Brain  and  Personality.     W.  Hanna  Thomson. 
Education  and  the  Larger  Life. 

C.  Hanford  Henderson. 
Emile.    Jean  Jacques  Rousseau. 
Energies  of  Men.    William  James. 
Mind  Makes  Men  Giants.    Richard  Lynch. 
Montessori  Manual,  The.     Dorothy  Canfield  Fisher. 
Montessori  Mother ,  A.     Dorothy  Canfield. 
Pain  and  Pleasure.     Henry  T.  Moore. 
Pestalozzi  and  Elementary  Education.     C.  Compayre. 
Philosophy  of  Work.     Swami  Abhedenanda. 
Physiology  of  Faith  and  Fear.     William  S.  Sadler. 
Power  Through  Repose.     Anne  Payson  Call. 
Psychology  of  Attention,  -  The.     Th.  Ribot. 
Reminiscences  of  Froebel.    Baroness  B.  Von  Maren- 

holtz-Bulow. 
(Translated  by  Mrs.  Horace  Mann.) 
Sense  of  Sight.    Frank  N.  Spindler. 
Sense  of  Sound.     Frank  N.  Spindler. 
Talks  to  Teachers.     William  James. 
Tragedy  of  Education,  The.     Edmond  Holmes. 
Victorious  Attitude,  The.    Orison  Swett  Marden, 

179 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

What  Is  and  What  Might  Be.     Edmond  Holmes. 
What  Is  It  to  Be  Educated? 

C.  Hanford  Henderson. 


BIOGRAPHIES 

For  Children 

First  Studies  in  Musical  Biography. 

Thomas  Tapper. 
Founders  oj  Music.     Hanna  Smith. 
Story  of  Music  and  Musicians.     L.  C.  Lillie. 

For  Adults 

Bach,  Life  oj.     Hubert  Parry. 

Brahms,  Life  of.     Florenze  Mays. 

Chopin,  Book  of.     James  Huneker. 

Chopin,  Life  of.     Franz  Liszt. 

Debussy,  Life  of.     Masters  of  Music  Series. 

Famous  Composers.     Nathan  H.  Dole. 

From  Grieg  to  Brahms.     Daniel  Gregory  Mason. 

Grieg,  Life  of.     Henry  T.  Fink. 

History  of  Music.     Stanford  and  Forsyth. 

Life  and  Letters.     Felix  Mendelssohn. 

Living  Masters  of  Music. 

Edited  by  Rosa  Newmarch. 
MacDowell,  Life  of.    Masters  of  Music  Series. 
Master  Musicians.     Edited  by  Fred  Crowest. 
Modern  Composers  of  Europe.     Louis  C.  Elson. 
Modern  Musicians.     J.  C.  Hadden. 
Nezin,  Life  of.     V.  Thompson. 

i8o 


Books  on   Music 

For  Adults  (Continued) 
Paderewskt,  Life  of.     Masters  of  Music  Series. 
Russian  Contemporary  Composers. 

Nathan  Montague. 
Scriabine.    A.  E.  Hull. 
Tschaikowsky's  Autobiography. 


BOOKS  ON  MUSIC 

Esthetics  of  Music.     F.  Busoni. 

Analysis  of  Form  in  Music.     F.  J.  Lehman. 

Euryihmics.     Jacques  Dalcroze. 

Form  in  Music.     Stewart  MacPherson. 

French  Music  of  To-Day.     Jean  Aubrey. 

Fundamentals  of  Musical  Art.     Caxton  Inst. 

How  to  Sing  a  Song.     Yvette  Gilbert. 

Haw  to  Think  Music.     Harriet  A.  Seymour. 

Instruments  of  the  Orchestra,  The. 

Daniel  Gregory  Mason. 
Making  of  Musicians,  The.    Yorke  Trotter. 
Musical  Amateur.     Robert  Schauffler. 
Musical  Education  of  the  Child. 

Stewart  MacPherson. 
Music  and  Life.    Thomas  Surrette. 
Music  Education.     Calvin  Cady. 
Music-Education  Material.     Calvin  Cady. 
Mysticism  and  Music.     Heber  Newton. 
Piano  Mastery.     Harriet  Brower. 
Rhythm  of  Life.     Brodie  Patterson. 

i8i 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

TEACHING  MATERIAL 

Graded  as  to  difficulty. 
Grade  I 

Cady,  Folk  Melodies  for  Ten  Fingers, 

Diabelli,  Easy  Duets. 

Forsman,  Duets. 

Gaynor,  Miniatures, 

Loomis,  After  the  Lesson, 

Martin,  Tone  Pictures. 

Maxim,  Noah's  Ark. 

Schwalm,  Easy  Duets. 

Swift,  Newton,  Twelve  Easy  Pieces, . 

Grade  II 

Burchenal-Crampton,  Folk  Dances. 

Cady-Bach,  Folk  Dances. 

Gaynor,  Easy  Pedal  Studies. 

Grieg,  Opus  12. 

Heller,  Op.  45,  46,  47. 

Hofer,  Music  in  Child  World,  Vols.  I-II. 

KuUak,  Scenes  from  Childhood. 

Reinecke,  Unsere  Liebline. 

Reinhold,  Miniatures. 

Schumann,  Opus  68. 

Tschaikowsky,  Children's  Album. 

Grade  III 

Bach,  Short  Preludes  and  Fugues    (Mason  Ed.). 
Bach,  Ph.  Em.,  Solfegietto. 

182 


Teaching   Material 

Grade  III  (Continued) 
Beethoven,  Easier. 
Gluck,  Album. 

Handel,  Largo,  (without  octaves). 
Handel,   Twelve  Easy  Compositions. 
Haydn,  Easy  Compositions. 
Mendelssohn,  Songs  Without  Words. 
Mozart,  Minuet  from  Don  Giovanni. 
Rebikow,  Silhouettes. 
Schytte,  Clown  on  Tight  Rope, 
Schytte,  Hide  and  Seek. 
Thome,  Forgotten  Fairy  Tales* 
Thome,  Sonatina  Album. 

Grade  IV 

Bach,  Inventions. 
Bach,  Sara  Heintz  Album, 
Debussy,  Little  Shepherd. 
Grieg,  Sailofs  Song. 
MacDowell,  Woodland  Sketches, 

More  Difficult 

Bach,  Suites. 

Bach,  Well-Tempered  Clavichord. 
.  Bach,  Italian  Concerto. 
Bach,  Gavotte  in  B  minor  (Saint-Saens  Arr). 
Bach,  Fantasie  in  C  minor. 
Beethoven   (selected  movements  good  to  teach 

before  entire  sonata  is  taken  up). 
Beethoven,  Op.  2,  No.  2,  Largo  and  Scherzo. 

183 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

More  Difficult  (Continued) 

Beethoven,  Op.  2,  No,  j,  Scherzo. 

Beethoven,  Op.  7,  Largo. 

Beethoven,  Op.  10,  No.  i,  Adagio. 

Beethoven,  Op.  10,  No.  2,  Allegretto. 

Beethoven,  Op.  10,  No.  j,  Largo  and  Minuetto. 

Beethoven,  Op.  ij,  Adagio. 

Beethoven,  Op.  14,  No.  2,  Andante. 

Beethoven,  Op.  26,  Theme. 

Beethoven,  Op.  27,  No.  2,  Adagio. 

Beethoven,  Op.  28,  Andante. 

Beethoven,  Op.  ji,  No.  j,  Allegretto  and  Minuetto, 

Beethoven,  Op.  4p,  No.  i. 

Beethoven,  Op.  49,  No.  2. 

Beethoven,  Op.  57,  Theme  of  Largo. 

Beethoven,  Op.  90,  2d  Movement. 

Brahms,  Intermezzi,  Op.  11 7-1 18, 

Brahms,  B  minor  Capriccio. 

Brahms,  Two  Rhapsodies. 

Brahms,  Hungarian  Dances. 

Chopin,  Preludes  and  Rondos. 

Chopin,  Etudes. 

Chopin,  Waltzes. 

Chopin,  Ballades, 

Chopin,  Impromptus. 

Chopin,  Mazurkas. 

Chopin,  Nocturnes  and  Fantasy. 

Chopin,  Polonaises  and  Scherzos, 

Daquin,  Le  Coucou. 

Gluck-Brahms,  Gavotte. 

184 


Teaching   Material 

More  Difficult  (Continued) 

Gluck-Saint-Saens,  Air  from' 'Alcest*'  (Joseffy  Arr) . 
Mendelssohn,  Two  Preludes  in  E  minor. 
Mendelssohn,  Nocturne  from  ''Midsummer 

Night's  Dream'* 
Mendelssohn,  Rondo  Capriccioso. 
Mendelssohn,  Scherzo. 
Mozart,  Sonatas  in  C  and  G  major. 
Mozart,  Fantasies. 
Mozart,  Pastorale  Varie  in  B-fiat. 
Mozart,  Mintiet  from  E  Symphony. 
Scarlatti,  Album  (twenty-two  pieces). 
Schubert,  Marche  Militaire. 
Schubert,  Impromptus. 
Schubert,  Minuet  in  B  minor. 
Schubert,  Moments  Musicals. 
Schubert,  Sonatas. 
Schumann,  Opus  15. 
Schumann,  Novelletten. 
Schimiann,  Fantasiestucke. 
Schumann,  Albumhldtter. 
Schimiann,  Romance  in  F-sharp  major. 
Schtmiann,  NachstUcke. 
Schimiann,  Papillons. 
Schumann,  Carnival. 
Sgambati,  Gavotte  in  A-flat  minor. 

Supplementary  List 

Album  of  Russian  Music,  Vols.  I  and  II, 
Couperin,  Album. 

185 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

Supplementary  List  (Continued) 

D 'Albert,  Gavotte  and  Musette, 
Debussy,  Children's  Corner, 
Debussy,  Two  Arabesques, 
Debussy,  Reverie, 
Debussy,  Suite  Bergamasqtie, 
Debussy,  Preludes, 
Grieg,  Sonata, 
Grieg,  Lyrics  (five  books). 
MacDowell,  Sea  Pieces. 
MacDowell,  Tarantella, 
MacDowell,  Scotch  Poem, 
MacDowell,  Improvisations, 
MacDowell,  Hexentanz, 
MacDowell,  Shadow  Dance, 
Moszkowski,  Album, 
Paderewski,  Cracovienne, 
Paderewski,  Melodie  in  G  flat. 
Paderewski,  Chant  du  Voyageur, 
Parodies,  Toccata. 
Rachmaninoff,  Preludes, 
Rachmaninoff,  Polichinelle. 
Rameau,  Album  (Litolff  Ed.). 
Rubinstein,  Kam£nnoi  Ostrow. 
Rubinstein,  Barcarolle, 
Rubinstein,  Romance  in  E  flat, 
Saint-Saens,  Romance  in  B  minor, 
Scriabine,  Nocturne  for  left  hand, 
Scandinavian  Album, 

Sibelius,  Romance  in  D. 

i86 


Teaching   Material 

Slav  Album,  Vols.  I  and  II. 
Stosjowski,  Waltz  in  E. 
Stosjowski,  Chant  d' Amour. 
Strauss,  Traumerei  in  B  major. 
Tschaikowsky,  Song  Without  Words  in  F  major. 
Tschaikowsky,  Chanson  Triste. 
Tschaikowsky,  Barcarolle. 
Tschaikowsky,  Romance  in  F  minor. 
13 


RECORDS 
CHOSEN  FROM  THE  CATALOGUE 

OF  THE 

VICTOR  TALKING  MACHINE  COMPANY 

RECORDS  USEFUL  IN  THE   STUTY  OF 
NATIONALITY  IN   MUSIC 

NUMBER 

AMERICA 

Carry  Me  Back  to  Old  Virginny 19887 

Darling  Nellie  Gray 19887 

My  Old  Kentucky  Home 6509 

Home,  Sweet  Home 1146 

Old  Folks  at  Home 4001 

When  You  and  I  Were  Young,  Maggie 1173 

Indian 

Chant  of  the  Snake  Dance 20043 

Chant  of  the  Eagle  Dance 20043 

Cowboy 

Cowboy  Love  Song 20067 

Following  the  Cow  Trail 20067 

Negro  Spirituals 

Nobody  Knows  the  Trouble  I've  Seen 20068 

Steal  Away 19742 

Swing  Low,  Sweet  Chariot 20068 

Were  You  There  ? 19742 

189 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

NUMBER 

ENGLISH 

Shepherd's  Hey 1095 

John  Peel 19961 

Sweet  and  Low 20080 

HAWAIIAN 

Kilima  Waltz 20131 

Aloha  Oe 1115 

HUNGARIAN 

Hejte  Kati  Czardas 6550 

Czardas  {Gypsy  Orchestra) 78828 

Czardas  (Cembalom) 78785 

ITALIAN 

Santa  Lucia 20080 

O  Sole  Mio a099 

Funiculi  Funictila 20080 

IRISH 

Father  O'Flynn 45533 

Harp  That  Once  Thru  Tara's  Halls 19916 

Farewell  to  Cucullain 35781 

Kathleen  Mavoureen 19916 

RUSSIAN 

Red  Sarafan 78619 

Shining  Moon 19960 

Song  of  the  Volga  Boatmen 19960 

SCANDINAVLVN 

Vermeland 19923 

Norwegian  Mountain  March 20151 

When  I  Was  Seventeen 1156 

190 


Phonograph  Records 

NUMBER 

SCOTCH 

Comin'  Thru  the  Rye 1146 

SPANISH 

Jota 1153 

Madrigal 1 126 

Paloma,  La 1141 

RECORDS  FOR  USE  IN  THE  STUDY 

OF  OPERA 

FRENCH  OPERA 

NUMBER 

"CARMEN"  (Bizet) 

Card  Song 1102 

Habanera 1145 

Sequidilla 1145 

"FAUST"  (Gounod) 

Mephistopheles  Serenade 6558 

Soldiers'  Chorus 19783 

"SAMSON  AND  DELILAH"  (Saint-Saens) 

My  Heart  at  Thy  Sweet  Voice 6590 

Song  of  Spring 6590 

GERMAN   OPERA 

NUMBER 

«*LOHENGRIN"  (Wagner) 

Bridal  Chorus 9005 

Intro,  to  Act  III 9005 

191 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

NUMBER 

"MEISTERSINGER"  (Wagner) 

Prize  Song 55288 

Finale  of  Opera 55288 

*^TANNHAUSER"  (Wagner) 

Evening  Star 6563 

Pilgrims'  Chorus 20127 

ITALIAN  OPERA 

inTMBER 

"AID A"  (Verdi) 

O  Terra  Addio r    3041 

Triumphal  March 35780 

Moorish  Ballet 35780 

La  Fatal  Pietra 3040 

Morir!  si  pura  e  bella 3040 

*'B0H6ME»  (Puccini) 

Coat  Song 1135 

Addio 6561 

Death  Scene 8068 

"PAGLIACCI"  (Leoncavallo) 

Ballatella 6578 

Prologue 6587 

**RIGOLETTO"  (Verdi) 

Cara  Nome 6580 

La  donna  e'  Mobile 1099 

192 


Phonograph  Records 


RECORDS  FOR  YOUNGER  CHILDREN 

MUSIC  A  MOTHER  COULD  USE  IN  TEACHING 

SONGS 


SONGS 

(1)  Frog  and  Mouse;  (2)  The  Tailor  and 
the  Mouse;  (3)  The  Frog  He  Would 
a  Wooing  Go 

(1)  Bow-Bow;  (2)  Song  of  the  Cricket; 
(3)  Good  Morning;  (4)  A  True 
Story;  (5)  My  Pony 

(1)  The  Fiddle  Song;  (2)  Dancing  Song;' 
(3)  The  Bee;  (4)  The  Clock;  (5)  Who 
Has  Seen  the  Wind 

(1)  My  Old  Dan;  (2)  Honk!  Honk!  (3) 
Cradle  Song;  (4)  Soldier  Boys;  (5) 
Wing  Foo ;  (6)  The  Zoo 

(1)  Jack  in  the  Pulpit;  (2)  In  the  Belfry;  ' 
(3)  Corn  Soldiers;  (4)  Naming  the 
Trees;   (5)    The  Squirrel;    (6)    The 
Windmill 

(1)  Riggetty  Jig;  (2)  Singing  School;  (3) 
Dancing  Song;  (4)  Dancing  in  May; 
(5)  Mother  Goose  Lullaby 

Hey  Diddle  Diddle;  Little  Bo-Peep 

Twinkle,  Twinkle,  Little  Star 

Little  Jack  Horner;  Ride  a  Cock  Horse.  .  . 

193 


NUMBER 


19830 


19831 


19891 


20212 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 


\    20079 


EXCERPTS  FROM  THE  CLASSICS  (Instrumental) 
Melodies  for  Children  Nos.  1  and  2 

NtTMBER 

Waltz  (Brahms);  Light  Cavalry  Over- 
ture (Von  Suppe) 

Serenata  (Moszkowski) ;  Tarantella 
(Mendelssohn) 

Cradle  Song  (Schubert);  Andantino 
(Thomas) 

Evening  Bells  (Kullak);  Elfin  Dance 
(Grieg) ^ 

Instrumental  Combinations  Nos.  1  and  2 

Morning  (Grieg) ;  Seraglio  (Mozart) 

Conzonetta  (Gespari) ;  Serenade  (Schubert)  . 
Lullaby    (Emmett);    Go,     Pretty    Rose  ^^^^6 
(Marzials) 


Interpretation— Rhythms   for   Mimetic   Plays   and 
Dancing 

Soldiers'  March  (Schumann) 

March  (Hollaender) 

March  from  Nutcracker  Suite  (Tschai-  )-     19881 

kowsky) 

March  from  Aleeste  (Gluck) 


Gnomes  (Reinhold) 

Dwarfs  (Reinhold) 

Fairies  (Schubert) 

Clowns  (Mendelssohn) .  . 

194 


>     19882 


Phonograph  Records 

Interpretation — Rhythms  for  Munetic  Plays 
and  Dancing — Continued 

Run,  Run  (Concone) 

Jumping  (Gurlitt) 

Running  Game  (Gurlitt) 

Air  de  Ballet  (Jadassohn) 

Waltz  No.  1  (Brahms) 

Waltz  No.  2  (Brahms) 

Waltz  No.  9  (Brahms) 


NUMBER 


20162 


Descriptive  Music 

Of  a  Tailor  and  a  Bear  (MacDowell) 

Little  Himters  (KuUak) 

Spinning  Song  (KuUak) 

Wild  Horsemen  (Schtunann) 


>    20153 


March    of    the    Little    Lead    Soldiers 

(Pierne) 

March  and  Impromptu  (Bizet) 


19730 


RECORDS  TO  BE  USED   FOR 
INTERPRETATIVE  DANCING 

NUMBER 

BACH 

Minuit 1136 

BEETHOVEN 

Gavotte 1136 

CHOPIN 

Waltz  in  G  Flat 1154 

195 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

NUMBER 

DELIBES 

Pizzicato  "Sylvia  Ballet" 1166 

Valse  Lento  "Sylvia  Ballet" 1166 

Coppelia  Ballet 6586 

Naila  Waltz 6582 

PADEREWSKI 

Minuet 20169 

SCHUBERT 

Moment  Musicale 1143 

STRAUSS 

Blue  Danube  Waltz 6584 

FOLK  DANCES 

NUMBER 

AMERICA 

Arkansaw  Traveler 18331 

Green  Mountain  Volunteers 18491 

Old  Dan  Tucker 18490 

Pop  Goes  tihe  Weasel 20151 

Uncle  Steve's  Quadrille 35739 

BELGIUM 

Chimes  of  Dunkirk 17327 

Seven  Jumps 17777 

DENMARK 

Ace  of  Diamonds 17083 

Crested  Hen 17159 

Dance  of  Greeting 17158 

Shoemaker's  Dance 17084 

196 


Phonograph  Records 

NUMBER 

ENGLISH 

Black  Nag '. . . .  18004 

Gathering  Peascods 18010 

Morris  Dance 17080 

Ruf ty  Tufty 18009 

Sellinger's  Round 18010 

Shepherd's  Hey 17328 

FINLAND 

Gossiping  Ulla 19348 

Pretty  Sister-in-law 17963 

FRANCE 

Farandole 18368 

On  the  Bridge  at  Avignon 19348 

Parisian  Polka 18600 

French  Reel 18600 

GERMANY 

Bunimel  Schollische 19348 

Broom  Dance 19348 

HUNGARY 

Csardas 17003 

Cshebogar 17821 

ITALIAN 

Tarantella 17083 

IRELAND 

Irish  Lilt 17331 

St.  Patrick's  Day 17002 

Blackberry  Blossom 18331 

197 


The  Philosophy  of  Music 

NUMBER 

NORWAY 
Mountain  March 20151 

POLAND 

Cracoviac 18002 

RUSSIA 

Kamarinskaia 17001 

SCOTLAND 

Highland  FHng 17001 

Highland  Schottische 17331 

SWEDEN 

Bleking 17085 

Carrousel 17086 

Reap  the  Flax 17002 

Klappdans 17084 

THE  EHD 


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